Tomorrow, Tomorrow
by Wildfire Fenrir
Summary: No matter what happened, they still had their memories as a group. They would look forward to tomorrow. These are the memories shared between Courier Thirteen and Team RWBY. A bridging story and sequel to Thirteen.
1. Prologue: Memories of Homecoming

_**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. Simple enough.**_

* * *

 _ **Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Prologue: Memories of Homecoming

* * *

It had been a little over two months since the Vale Crisis, and the word "busy" seemed like a _massive_ understatement. With much of Vale in shambles, the Academy had constantly been sending out students to form working parties. While the bulk of the fighting, and loss, had been with the local militia and hunters, the school body had remained relatively untouched. This made Beacon Academy the primary HQ for the reconstruction. It housed the government, military, and civilian leadership temporarily. The Altesian Military had sent a small force after an official request from Beacon for auxiliary support and supplies.

But honestly, that didn't really matter to the students and teams of Beacon. They still had a _ton_ of work to do. Team RWBY had done everything from escort to combat rescue at this point, all with a professional hunter leading them. The Crisis had put a hold on their education on hunting and sped up their learning of practical skills, such as first aid, reconnaissance, and tracking. So not only did the teams have to go to class, they usually had extra assignments (not quite missions) every other day to do, with a day or two for rest between it all.

On the bright side? Reconstruction work was almost done. Another week was the closest estimate Professor Ozpin had been able to give, and the amount of cheering in the mess hall due to the news probably showed on a seismograph.

Ruby flopped down on the bottom bed of their makeshift bunk bed, exhausted from the day's activities. They had just gotten back a little past one o'clock AM, and they were settling down for the night. Much like the rest of her team, the constant action had begun taking its toll on her. Her eyes were starting to darken from the long days and nights. Her clothes and room were a little more messy than normal, and this lingering hunger wouldn't go away. They'd been working on military rations, as the food needed to go to the temporarily displaced civilian population. Their caloric intake just didn't quite match up with the intensive schedule; and as a result, many students were never quite full.

Blake and Yang didn't show the exhaustion as badly as she did, but Weiss had become some other beast altogether. "Can…Can we just get a break?" Ruby groaned as attempted to crawl under the sheets. Weiss bopped her head, frowning at her irritably.

"Excuse me, but that's _my_ bed. Yours is up there." Weiss growled in annoyance. Ruby groaned and rolled over, causing Weiss to sigh. "You know what, whatever." Weiss clambered onto Ruby's bed and unceremoniously plopped down as well. Blake and Yang just stared as the two immediately dozed off into dreamless sleep.

"You know it's a whole new level when she doesn't chew Ruby out for something like that." Yang muttered as she cleaned up for the night. Even being exhausted wasn't an excuse for clean of the day's sweat and muck.

"That and she decided to not change out of her clothes. Or take a thirty minute shower." Blake undid her bow and yawned. "Still, I agree. This pace we're doing is draining."

"Yeah. I mean, they're working us students to the bone. Kinda makes me miss our lazy class days really. And no, I don't mean the hectic times when we were fighting bad guys."

"You? Miss class? What are you and what have you done to Yang?" Blake teased as the blonde bombshell did her evening stretches. Yang simply grinned as she dropped and started her pushup sets. "On the bright side: we're almost done, and we're learning a lot more important stuff than what the small fur color differences on a Beowulf means."

"Uh-huh, but that means I have to start pretending to be paying attention in class again. Oh, did I say pay attention? I meant sleep through Port's long lectures." Yang pumped out the pushups easily. After her first set of fifty, she flipped over and sat against the bottom bed, debating finishing the sets or going to bed. At least, that was until her thoughts were interrupted by a light growl from her stomach. Yang rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and grinned at Blake, who seemed rather unsurprised by the noise.

"What? There wasn't a lot to eat. We've been burning so much energy, we can't regain it all quick enough!" Yang huffed defensively. "Don't act like your stomach doesn't growl."

Blake smiled weakly at her, "At least I know I'm not alone now. It's hard working on military rations. Especially when it's all so unappetizing." She shivered thinking back to her choice of tuna steak with brown rice ration pack. She didn't realize she could _taste_ regret until she had bit into that… _thing_.

"Yeah. There was something fishy about that tuna you had that one time." Yang stood up and sauntered over to the restroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Blake's eyes narrowed on the doorway Yang had just gone into, wondering if that fishy comment was a joke. "Yew jush gott' pu' a lotta ho' sau' on it." Yang called out while brushing her teeth.

"Say again?" Blake lifted her head from the book she was reading, this time a crime novel recommended to her by Sun. She heard Yang spit and rinse before the blonde stepped out.

"I said, yew jush gott' pu' a lotta ho' sau' on it." Yang bit her thumb and spoke through it like she had a brush in her mouth, grinning at her partner. Blake rolled her eyes and rolled over onto her bed.

"I still regret picking it. That was a crime against tuna, let alone food in general."

"Hot sauce, Blake."

"I don't like spicy things. You know that already."

"Oh, got a cat's tongu-" Yang was unable to finish before a spare pillow smacked her square in the face. "Okay. I deserved that." Yang climbed onto her bed and whipped out her scroll to check on her social page, checking the updates from her friends.

"Yaaaang?" Ruby whined out, causing her to peek over the edge and down at her sister, "Could you keep it down? Thaaaanks." Yang gave Ruby a thumbs up and rolled back over, the bed swinging slightly at her movement. She swiped the screen up repeatedly, looking in boredom at the mundane updates and gossip.

One of her friends got pregnant from another friend. Oh no, how scandalous. They weren't even together-together as Nora would put it.

Another was crying over the loss of life from the Vale Crisis still, but to her knowledge said friend still had yet to actually do anything like volunteer to come help or donate.

A third had started a comment war with another over who was the worse 'bitch.'

The fourth had checked in somewhere in the middle of nowhere along Route 18—wait. Yang scrolled up quickly to see the status update. She clicked on it and it pulled up several pictures taken from a scroll. The pictures were of scenic landscapes, taken from the highway past the forests. A few pictures that interrupted the landscapes featured rather greasy looking diner food. Grease logged bread, a fatty slab of ham or some kind of meat, eggs, and what probably _could_ pass for hash browns, caused her stomach to growl a little more. "Damnit." She whispered and continued flipping through the pictures.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Yang flipped back to the picture of the greasy breakfast and leaned down to show it to Blake, who groaned. Yang retracted her arm and wondered if it was from hunger or disgust. "Is that Welks?

Yang quickly shot him a text: You bastard, stop making me hungry with your pictures. "Yep. Son of a bitch is on a road trip back home. I should've told him to stay." Yang flipped on to pictures of the Frauline (Welkin's motorbike) opened up for maintenance. Finally she paused on a picture of Welkin leaning against his motorbike. He was still wearing the ice pink jacket, but he leaned against the bike pretending to be a smooth operator. He even had some pretty nice rectangular sunglasses! Despite the scars, Welkin had a soft grin as he tried to look cool in his current profile picture.

Yang quickly shot off a second text: Btw, you look silly in that picture.

"Didn't he leave a day or two ago?" Blake asked as Yang's phone buzzed.

Yang stifled a giggle as she replied to Blake. "Yeah. Something like that. He should've been there by train by now. Lemme ask him." Yang switched from her social page to text again to continue sending messages.

 **Crasher4.13:** _Srsly, I am the only guy who could make pink look SCARY._

 **Fireballin17:** _Nah. Pink isnt scary. Where r u?_

 **Crasher4.13:** _Motel on Route 18. Drove all day._

 **Crasher4.13:** _Shouldn't you be asleep?_

 **Fireballin17:** _I was gonna, then I saw your pics._

 **Fireballin17:** _Damn you again. Also Blake says damn you. :P_

 **Crasher4.13:** _?_ _? Oh. Oh that was this morning. You wouldn't have liked it. Too much grease, even for me._

 **Crasher4.13:** _Wait, Blake?!_

 **Fireballin17:** _Yep. You owe me more food when you get back. :)_

 **Crasher4.13:** _Srsly? Fine._ _Gotta sleep, and you should too. Anything else?_

 **Fireballin17:** _I thought you'd be back. What gives?_

 **Crasher4.13:** _Remember I jumped a police barrier once?_ _They never forgot about it._

 **Fireballin17:** _Oh, when you were passing Vermillion Ridge, right?_

 **Crasher4.13:** _Yep._ _Spent a day in lockup as punishment, and got a lecture on public safety._

 **Fireballin17:** _Ew, that's gross._

 **Crasher4.13:** _Yep. I'll ttyl, really gotta sleep. You should get some too._

 **Fireballin17:** _I'll try. GN._

Yang turned to see Blake peeking just over the mattress at her, her catlike eyes betraying the clear smirk she had from her hidden lower face. "What?"

"You were smiling while texting him." Yang raised an eyebrow. Was she even, or was Blake just teasing? Knowing Blake, probably the latter. "Soooo what'd he say? Does he miss you? Oh, did he profess his desire to return to your arms?" Yang flicked Blake's forehead with her finger until her partner tipped over and fell off the bed.

"For someone so quiet, you really lose your composure when it comes to romance." Yang leaned over to grin at her partner, who had quickly retreated under her covers and away from her. "I wonder how Sun would react to that. Oh! I should introduce him to some of your _romantic_ literature."

"You wouldn't dare talk to him about stuff like this." Blake glared at her partner. "Besides, I'm just curious."

"Oh you know him. Got into trouble, again. Police threw him in jail for running a blockade." Blake raised an eyebrow. "Oh...uh yeah, it was during the Vale Crisis. Remember when he got really hurt?" Yang heard Blake mutter something along the lines of 'he's always getting hurt...'

"Lucky number thirteen living up to the name. At least he's home." Blake closed her eyes, "Good night Yang." She heard Yawn yawn out something along the lines of yep. She drifted off slowly, trying to get as much rest as she could before tomorrow came and the routine continued. Hopefully, Ozpin would let them have a longer break. And maybe get some real food back on the menu.

* * *

The dreary overcast continued to hang overhead as the morning rolled on. The dense fog started to lift along the highway, Route 18 North, and the grassy plains waved to the soft breeze. The breeze carried the scent of sea salt over the open road. Welkin Amaranth-Fenrir took a deep breath as he leaned against his motorbike, chewing on a protein bar while going through his scroll's social app. He tossed the wrapper aside and double checked his route. He woke up extra early to get back before the sun was fully up, just so he could take in the current foggy view. Also it seemed like grimm avoided the roads around this time more often.

He pulled out another banana nut protein bar he had from a belt pouch. He couldn't help but wonder about home. It didn't have the resources nor renown like Vale to rebuild as quickly. Last he heard from the diner cook, the town's turned upside down every which way. They were still fighting for parts of the city.

Welkin bit into the bar and dusted his gauntlet armored hands off on his dusty pink coat. The long coat had been modified a bit since he got it from Yang, such as changing the symbols on his back to the old courier emblem and adding extra pockets to the interior. During his brief stop, he found a tailor willing to change it for him for a hefty price. The man worked fast, and made the adjustments well ahead of schedule.

Welkin stood at a fairly tall six feet one inches. He was built like a tank, that is to say, large and incredibly muscle bound. His height and sheer mass combined together to make him incredibly imposing, and he was often mistaken for a college level rugby player. His hair was dark pink, almost red depending on the lighting conditions. He had cut it short and spikey. Welkin had a light brown complexion, given how much time he spent under the sun.

He probably would have been a poster example of the perfect Altesian soldier, were he in the army. Big and macho, but the light smirk he usually wore on his face contrasted the whole dumb muscle look. Welkin had a fairly square jaw and well defined features. His steel grey eyes contrasted sharply with his pink hair and outfit.

He wore a red muscle shirt and a pair of white cargo pants with black boots. On top, he had carapace composite armor. The armor protected his torso and back, and he had armor on his thighs and shins. Welkin wore a pair of striking gauntlets that were dark pink with white highlights. While deactivated, the striking plates on his gauntlets were folded away with the rest of the piston module. His greaves and boots had a bulky anchor module built into it.

To finish off the outfit, Welkin wore an open ice pink jacket that went down to his knees. The jacket had four internal pockets, two on each side of it. His sleeves were rolled up to accommodate his gauntlets. His left sleeve featured a patch with the updated Star of Polaris emblem: a winged box with a sword running through it. His other sleeve had a big red 'Thirteen' embroidered onto it in military stenciling style. Under the number were four silver stars.

Breathing in the fog and sea air, Welkin stood from his position on the bike. He adjusted his coat, straightening it and fixing the armor underneath. As he held onto the protein bar with his teeth, he quickly retied a long fading red scarf around his neck, and secured it to his courier messenger bag so it wouldn't fly around while he was driving. The scarf was decorated with a lightning bolt that ran lengthwise and ended at a flame on the scarf end. He gracelessly crammed the rest of the protein bar into his mouth and dusted off his hands on his pants.

After swallowing the bar with some water from his water bottle, Welkin swung his right leg back over the white and red motorbike and twisted the old key ignition. The bike roared to life, thrumming with power. In the distance and through the lifting fog, he could see the humble skyline of Alistier. He stopped momentarily to take a picture of the canal city covered in fog. Satisfied, he put the scroll back into his coat pocket and slid on his combat goggles.

He followed the familiar road home, looking at the city by the sea. He smirked; perhaps city wasn't the best description for it. It was more like a big town than anything. Granted, the town DID have a military force in the area, and it was home to the not so secret weapons testing zones. Assuming the main bases didn't end up like chowder, much like Fire Base Heyman and X-Ray, the military was probably in control. He could already see the military checkpoint they had set up. Behind it was a refugee camp made of those barracks type tents the military always kept in storage. That was a good sign. Welkin rolled up to the check point slowly, stopping in front of a soldier who had waved him down.

"License and identification please?" Welkin dug through his coat pockets and pulled out a card holder, showing the grizzled military officer his courier ID and driver's license. He also pulled out his weapon's license, just in case the guards were worried about how loaded for grimm he was. "Courier huh? Got any packages to declare?"

"Nope. Rushed back here when I could to help out. I live here." Welkin opened his courier bag and showed the empty pouches to the man.

The guard nodded and checked the weapon's license. "Power gauntlets and a sniper rifle. Do you really need that kind of firepower kid? Aren't you a glorified mailman?"

Welkin grinned, "Honestly, it's probably more dangerous than you'll ever know." He tapped the thirteen on his coat sleeve, "Lucky thirteen so they say. So can I go in?"

"Yep. Refugee camp is to the right. We opened up this part of the freeway so we're not in the city proper. The other exits to Route 18 have been barred and fortified, so the only way for civilians to get into the city proper is through the exit on Katina Avenue. From there, the rest of the city is open, though only the Adriatic docks and parts of Sargasso district have been properly reclaimed. If you want to help, the HQ section at the Central Post Office can guide you around." The guard finished explaining and rose the white vehicle barrier. "Good luck. Welcome back to home, kid."

* * *

 _The following section comes from a mysterious document called the Encyclopedia. It contains knowledge from around the world, compiled together for ease of access. While it can be edited, the program is constantly watched for people attempting to twist history or facts. The Encyclopedia is a solid resource for finding information, even if it's basic information, about past events, people, or things._

* * *

 _Article Entry: The Vale Crisis_

 _The Vale Crisis was perhaps the biggest security slip up in the history of Vale. Despite warning signs and increased criminal activity, the police were unable to predict and prevent the Crisis. The Crisis began when an unknown organization, assumed to be White Fang, activated a set of "Faustus Boxes" that disabled all power and communication in the city of Vale. These boxes were designed specifically to drain power, dust, and energy on a large scale, much like an electro-magnetic pulse but significantly more effective. The ensuing panic and riots that took place after was only worsened by a grimm invasion. The invasion destroyed large parts of the city and contributed the most to the loss of human life._

 _It is thanks to the huntsmen and women of Beacon Academy that the city was able to stop and defeat the incursion. Particularly, teams RWBY and JNPR of Beacon Academy distinguished themselves by hunting down and shutting down all four Faustus Boxes. With intel from Courier Four-Thirteen, and the assistance of other hunters, the two teams were able to disable all four boxes. This gave the leadership a chance to regroup and communicate, and improved counter offensive operations._

 _The number of mistakes by the terrorist organization ultimately led to the successful victory by the huntsmen and women. The terrorists failed to shut down the main communications tower at Beacon Academy, failed to assassinate Professor Ozpin, and ultimately failed to get any of their demands (many of which are still classified). The organization also failed to hide the massive tracks it had left behind, and an organized military operation against their many bases effectively crushed the terrorists._

 _For a better overview, historians recommend the article_ "The Crisis" _by Professor G. Greens, who digs into the Vale Crisis more in depth than this article._

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

Man, it's been a while since I wrote anything. Actually, that's a lie. It's been a while since I _published_ anything. When I started _Devil's Hunt_ a while back, I thought I had finally found something I was interested in writing all the way through. Big Grimm hunting? That _sounds_ awesome. But in the end it just, didn't feel right. After a few chapters, it just didn't click anymore. I didn't think much about it honestly. It was just another bump in my history of writing. Truth be told, after I gave up on that, a part of me felt like I wasted all my time and I felt burned from it.

But then something interesting happened. I got a review for _Thirteen_ which I wrote...god, so long ago. It feels like a spark was lit again and, well, suddenly my interest in writing was rekindled. I went over _Thirteen_ over a day or so (mind, the monster is like, 350 pages/130k words long), and I realized...well it was good but I need to REALLY edit it. That was written at the tail end of Volume 1 of RWBY, and so much has changed or clarified. Like naming conventions. If you've read _Thirteen_ , you'll notice some names just seem _off_.

It was then that I decided to write this. Those kind words the reviewer had left me had made a mark on me, and I decided to go ahead and write an official sequel to it. Well, not so much a sequel, as you'll see when you read. Think of this piece as a bridging story. There won't be a definite time where or when these occurred, but they definitely occurred before, and during volumes two and three. It wouldn't be reasonable for characters to just reappear after being missing for two volumes after all. This will link volume one to three, and eventually into the true sequel of _Thirteen_.

I'd like to also say that, while this is a sequel to _Thirteen_ , I'm working on making it stand alone. Does that mean I recommend reading _Thirteen_ before hand? Well, sure, but that isn't necessary. It's pretty outdated and needs significant revision or editing, just to bring things back up to canon ( _Thirteen_ was written at the tail end of Volume One after all). This work is significantly more light hearted than _Thirteen_ , and is going to focus on characters and relationships more than anything. More slice-of-life with a little bit of action so I can keep practicing writing that. It's setting things up for the eventual post-Volume Three sequel I'm planning.

Whoa, this has gotten a bit long. I apologize. Most notes will probably go after the Article Entries I use for world building. I just feel I should clarify some things before people dive in and go "What the hell is happening, who is this guy, what is this event, what have I gotten myself into?"

One more thing. This story is marked for teens and above. There will be cursing, as I personally think it's not a bad thing. I apologize if people find it excessive, but these are _college_ age kids and Beacon is _practically_ a university for teaching combat and hunting. It won't get explicit and no one will be dropping f-bombs like they were edge lords or "cool kids". But I would like readers to know, that shit gets fucking used.

I would like to thank you for your time and consideration, and I would especially thank the reviewer who gave me the inspiration to write again. It's corny as hell, but it genuinely helped. I've got a _lot_ in store for this work, and let's see if this train has no brakes.

If you have questions or comments, feel free to message me!


	2. Memory 01: Normal

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 01: Getting Back to "Normal"

* * *

Welkin parked his bike at the parking garage that he used a while back. He was in the safe part of the Sargasso district. He pulled open the shutter to the small bike garage, revealing his workshop and locker, thankfully untouched by looters. He parked his bike and locked it up before checking his locker.

He immediately regret it.

A veritable flood of stuff emptied out of the locker and onto the floor in front of him. "Damn, and here I thought I cleaned it up before I left." He dug his way through the pile of papers, tools, and bags, sorting it out for later. He forgot he had a few cans of food for emergency as well as some tasteless ration bars. Welkin dug around some more; an expired pack of sugar cookies, a dirty old shirt, a CD by the Achieve Men, a few boxes of ammo…

He sighed and tossed the expired stuff out before slamming the shutter shut and locking it. Normally he would have dealt with it now, but he just wasn't interested now.

Welkin exited the building and almost ran straight into a familiar cowboy hat.

"Sully? Sully that you?" Welkin stared at the other courier. The man gawked at him a few times, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Oh my god it's the Amaranth boy! Welks, its good ta see ya!" The thin man grabbed his forearm and shook it vigorously. "I thought them uglies grabbed you!"

Welkin grinned at the man wearing the odd cowboy get up. He was a lean, green wearing, fighting machine; and despite his age, he could fan the hammer on his revolver faster than anyone else he'd seen. "I could say the same to you. I thought the office got raided. We were on the radio remember?"

"Ah hell, ya outta know, buncha uglies ain't gonna be the end o' me." Sully grinned and gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder, "But you boy, you sure you're Welks? You're livin' up to your old family name." He examined the light pink jacket and laughed, "You've got the wrong shade o' red!"

"Laugh it up. What I got is better than amaranth." Welkins lightly punched the older man on the shoulder. "Hey, you got a place to sit down or sleep? I need to get off my feet. Been riding all day and night to get back."

"Yea, yea, com'on. Now I require offerin's to the goddess while yer there." Welkin pushed the brown bag full of canned goods into his arms. Sully took a look and nodded, "A'ight, it'll do."

"How is Mrs. Russet now a days?" He asked as they walked through a reclaimed part of the city. "Still demanding you call her a goddess I see."

"Driving me through the wall." He replied curtly, causing Welkin to smirk at him. "Naw, I jest. The missus is doin' fine. She's still got that shotgun o' hers. Funny story 'bout that shotgun. T'was her that found my sorry behind. She blew her way to the office; done tore through dozens o' uglies 'fore she ran outta ammo. But that don't stop her none; she got some big ole machete in the damn thing."

Welkin whistled, "In a shotgun?"

"Inna shotgun."

"Well. I've heard of worse places to put a machete." Welkin shrugged. Hunters always had fancy weapons that could be swords too. Or maces. Or grenade launchers like Nora. "How's the office? And the other couriers?"

Sully's face darkened for a moment, stopping for a moment and looking at the floor. He pulled out his long scroll and offered it to Welkin, who accepted it with an eyebrow raised.

Welkin activated the screen and swept some of his short amaranth red hair back, casting his grey blue eyes down onto it. He scrolled through it before it dawned on him what it was: the roster of other couriers from Star of Polaris. The list was full of missing, with a handful of confirmed dead on the list. He sighed and put faces to every name that he recognized, faces that he'll probably never see again.

He stopped at his name and number: Four – Thirteen. "Missing in Action, presumed Killed in Action." He hit edit and crossed it out, typing in 'active'. He quickly handed it back, "I didn't know it was that bad."

"There was about sixty of us before all this mess, give or take those who were missing in action still. Now? There's barely twenty. And we don't even know if it's because they're dead or if they're just missing and haven't checked in yet. Alistier had the central office, and if Alistier has fallen…well." He slid the tablet back into his coat as they continued on their way. They walked silently for another block or two before turning into an old apartment complex. It had seen better days, but the worst damage was the offensively bad paintjob. "Com'on in. We got a spare bedroom you can use 'till we get yer place back. T'was by the Carthas docks, yea?" Welkin nodded. "Stay the night. I'll go with ya back to the docks. S'mostly safe thanks to the military nuts goin' "we need 'em docks for supply chains" and all that."

"He isn't wrong you know. Hell, I was at Vale. I know the value of a good logistics chain." Welkin cleaned off his boots as he stepped inside. "Also, we're couriers man, we're the hardcore mailmen. With guns. And maybe a thirst for danger." Welkin greeted Mrs. Russet, who immediately crushed him with a powerful bear hug. Sully laughed and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Team RWBY joined JNPR at their usual mess hall table after a night of uneventful sleep. While not particularly restful, the teams were more or less ready to go about the next day's business. Ruby sat down and immediately plopped her head back on the table, letting the drowsiness take over temporarily.

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Jaune asked as he rejoined. He was carrying something that smelled delicious, rather than awful for once. Ruby perked up at the scent of sugar, "You guys wouldn't believe how much of a fight it was to get this stuff."

Team RWBY looked up long enough to see the entirety of team JNPR carrying large plates in each hand. But more importantly, the plates were loaded to the brim with pancakes, waffles, eggs, and bacon. So much bacon. They each pushed a plate over to their friends and sat down to dig in. "It was a long wait, but it seems worth it." Pyrrha smiled as she helped herself to something extra sweet for once.

"You guys would've loved it! There was so much pushing and shoving, and I think a fight broke out down the line! It was great! I think I dented a tray on someone's head!" Nora exclaimed cheerfully, her face covered in syrup from literally burying it in the fluffy pancakes. Ren nodded, though that may have been his head drooping. Only Nora took the exhaustion in stride, but nothing seemed to slow her down. Poor Ren could barely get up in the morning, let alone while exhausted.

The group stared at the pile before looking at each other for confirmation. Yang quickly snapped a picture and sent it off. After a scramble for forks and knives, team RWBY was happily digging into the loaded plates.

"Oh uh, there's also seconds I think." The entire team looked up at Jaune, "At the buffet table." Their attention snapped to the buffet table before they continued devouring breakfast. And then the seconds came. And the thirds…

* * *

Nora burped loudly as her fork clattered onto the third plate. Ruby had her head on the table, smiling from being stuffed for once. Blake rested her head on her hands, internally debating whether it was a good idea or not to have eaten so much. Ren and Jaune appeared in the same boat, groaning from overeating. Yang leaned her head on her fist while the other played with her scroll. Weiss wiped her mouth daintily, trying to regain her composure after losing it to breakfast (even if it was _totally_ worth it.) For the first time in a month or two, they felt _full_.

Yang lifted her scroll's camera and took a snapshot of both JNPR and RWBY in their current state, grinning. "One for the memory books eh?" Pyrrha nodded and smiled for the camera. She sent that off quickly to Welks. "So, what's the occasion? Why isn't it porridge or something?"

"Professor Ozpin convinced Goodwitch to throw something together for us. I believe he said that the students needed something to rejuvenate them." Pyrrha gestured to Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch standing near the buffet lines. They had appeared to restore order before a food fight could break out. Uncharacteristically, Professor Goodwitch wasn't wearing her normal severe expression for once. She looked more exasperated than anything, given how often she's had to break up rowdy students. Professor Ozpin just smiled and sipped from his coffee mug. "Are you feeling okay, Jaune?"

"Yeah…ugh, I think I regret this decision." Jaune muttered as he lifted his hand and gave a weak thumbs up. He continued speaking into the table, "Several teams are also getting rotated off for a while. Something about lighter work to normalize our lives again…"

"Oh. So the important question here is," Yang started, "are _we_ on that list? Breakfast is nice and all, but I don't know if any of us can do heavy lifting after eating so much." She gestured to Ruby and Blake, who had apparently dozed off to sleep the food off.

"I think so! We have the day off today, so we were going to…"

"Sleep." Jaune and Ren immediately said, cutting off Nora before she could recommend something insane.

"…sleep." Pyrrha finished for Nora. "Though to tell the truth, I am perfectly okay with sleeping in today. I think we've earned it."

"You seem alright though. Hell, I don't think anyone would've guessed you were tired." Yang examined their resident Spartan. Indeed, she didn't look bad. But then again, it was Pyrrha Nikos, and looking bad just didn't seem to fit in the same sentence with her.

"Oh, I'm dreadfully tired. You should know Yang: makeup is a wonderful thing when used properly." Pyrrha smiled knowingly at the blonde, who nodded sagely.

"Priase be whoever invented makeup." Her phone shouted _Maaarrrk Nuuuuut_ and she picked it up to check her messages. "Sec, lemme get this." She hit dial on Welkin's number. After a few tones, she heard him cursing and a loud thump. "Is that really how you answer a lady?" She teased. Welkin muttered something and the thumping continued before the phone was finally picked up.

"No, not normally, but you caught me at an awkward time. Sup blondie? And the rest of the teams it seems." Welkin answered. He switched on the face view and grinned at the team. "Wow, breakfast _really_ did you all in. I'd be worried next time giant waffles invade."

"Ooooh, you've seen giant waffles invade?!" Nora exclaimed as Yang switched on her scroll's camera and placed it at the head of the table. Welkin took a step back from how loud it was and adjusted the red muscle shirt he was wearing. The room he was in was rather sparse, and they could see his gear scattered on the small desk. His coat hung on a hook by the door, and he looked like he got up not long ago himself. His muscle shirt today had a bundle of dynamite with a giant happy face on it.

"No. No waffles have invaded yet. I'm afraid they're probably next after the BREAKFAST CEREALS. Be warned mortals, the flying dried marshmallows shaped like animals are coming! I am the harbinger of your sweet doom!"

"It's the end times!" Nora waved her hands wildly, "The end tiimmmeeess!"

"Not so loud, Nora." Both Ren and Jaune said simultaneously. Nora whispered a small sorry, still grinning like a madwoman.

"So how've you guys been? Also sorry if I pop off screen every so often. Gearing up to go to my home district." Welkin continued, wisely choosing to not egg Nora on any further. He leaned down and checked his slightly scratched up armor.

"You saw us a few days ago Welks, you know how we are." Yang shrugged at him. Welkin lifted his arms also in a shrug, boot still in hand. "But we're doing alright. And you? How was jail?"

"You know I didn't think anyone could lecture as long as Professor Port over a single subject." He grunted and his body dipped below the camera temporarily, "Seriously, the cop just went on and on and on…"

"At least you only had to deal lectures for a month while helping us rebuild. We appreciate that by the way." Yang smiled brightly at him.

"Yeah well, I'd do anything for you guys. If ya'll got time, you should come visit! Uh, when it's not a complete danger zone. You'll like it here."

"Thanks Welks, but I'm not interested in taking the highway to the danger zone."

"Hiiiighwaaay to the danger zone!" Welkin, and surprisingly Jaune, sang, as he stood up to work on strapping on the heavy plate armor. "Was that John?"

" _Jaune._ I watch those movies too sometimes." Jaune raised his head slightly before planting himself back down.

"Awesome. We'll have to talk movies next time I'm back." Welkin pulled on his coat and sat back down, moving the camera to the desk so he could work on his gauntlets. "But yeah, the weather is great, there's nice and sunny beaches, and there's nothing more romantic than a night on the canals." He paused when the striking plates shot forward by accident. "Not that I would know."

"Aww, broken heart Welks?" Yang crossed her arms and leaned back, "Is there someone you're not telling me about." Welkin reset the gauntlets and rolled his eyes.

He shot them a cheeky smile, "Well, there's this one lovely lady, but her radiance, oh darling it _burns_ me so. The longer I am away, the more I yearn for it." The absolutely cheesy, fake accent sold it. "She is so far from me, much like the _sun_ and the _stars_."

"Tell me more." Yang leaned forward, grinning at the poor accent.

"Yes, tell us more." Blake muttered. She had woken up at some point and had her notebook out and writing. Yang glanced at her amused. She elbowed her black haired friend, shaking her head.

"I would, but I actually have to get going. Have to go find a boat." He picked up the sniper rifle and some magazines, sliding them into his belt pouches.

"A boat? Can't you just drive there?" Welkin picked up his scroll. "I mean, you've got your bike and everything."

"It's faster to get around the city via canals, especially to other districts. It'll be fine." The camera followed him out the door and he waved to an old, western looking couple on the way. "Besides. I'm pretty sure I can find one somewhere."

Welkin trekked over to the side of the canal, giving the others a good look at the current state of the city. While Vale had been cleaned up relatively well, Alistier still looked half abandoned. The light morning fog made it hard to make out any specific details, but the rubble and rock that littered the floors made it obvious the area hadn't been cleared yet. "Wait, I thought you hated water." Yang asked as Welkin made is way over a toppled apartment. He turned slightly pink.

"I don't _hate_ water Yang. I'm not a cat." Blake rolled her eyes to that. "No offense, Blake. I just hate swimming." He leaned over the edge of the canal, looking for the closest dock with a boat. "Ah. Bingo. You should call me next time it's sunny. I promise, the place looks cool. The rubble just comes with the season."

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here before someone pushes you in the water. Wait, actually, stay on for that!" Yang grinned at the prospect of Welkin getting dunked in the canal. He just shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"Take care. I'll let you know when I'm in Vale again. Might not be for a while though." The still awake members of the group waved goodbye and he shut the connection. After another minute of silence, Ruby groaned.

"Hm, it seems we should probably find some beds." Pyrrha smiled at her team. She put her hands on Ren and Jaune's shoulders. "Come on everyone, let's go get some well-earned rest." Team JNPR reluctantly got up from their seats, still wobbly from being absolutely stuffed.

* * *

A week or so later, team RWBY was feeling infinitely more refreshed. Better meals, regular sleep, and a much less rigorous schedule did wonders for them, and with reconstruction pretty much finished, their focus began to be more on grimm than anything. Life was going on normally, as it should. However, Ruby's sense of justice led them directly to another plot by Torchwick. Something told them that they weren't about to give up since they foiled one robbery…

* * *

 _Article Entry: Alistier_

 _Despite the designation of city, Alistier isn't actually as big as other major cities in the kingdoms. The modest skyline and focus on ports harken back to its history as a major naval port. The weather around Alistier is either cool and pleasant or warm and sunny. The city is oddly idyllic, with stable weather patterns and reliable weather forecasts. It typically rains a lot during the transitions between cool weather and warm weather._

 _The city is not terribly far from Vale. Less than a day by train or air, and roughly 18 hours by car (hence the colloquial name of that stretch of highway: Route 18.)_

 _The city's most prominent features are its canals, which connect the city and serve as a major source of mass transit outside of busses and trains. It's said that to go around Alistier like a true citizen, one uses the canals. The canals are the lifelines of the city, and directly connect to the ocean and the docks. The larger canals, simply known as the Grand Canals, divide up the city into oddly shaped blobs. The blobs themselves form a sort of circle, with four major blobs. These are the Adriatic Docks, Sargasso District, Levantine District, and Tyrrhenian District._

 _The Adriatic Docks is the oldest, and perhaps most important, district of the entire city. It spans the majority of the blob closest to the sea, and directionally would be the eastern part of the city. It houses the primary government and administration buildings, as well as the general headquarters of the military in the region. It's the oldest district, and the district with the most canals running through it._

 _The Sargasso District blob is the southernmost district, but also stretches westward. It act as the main "entrance" in a way, as Route 18 leads directly into Sargasso. The district is mostly residential and commercial. Many of the large shopping centers are in the Sargasso district, making it an attraction to new comers and the locals. The district also contains the main airport for Alistier. The main office of the Star of Polaris Courier Services can be found in the Sargasso District._

 _The Levatine District blob is to the north-west. The district is called the "District of Zero Fun" due to the large amount of offices and a university. It is the center of education in Alistier, with a good amount of libraries and schools dedicated to research. Unsurprisingly, there is few residential areas here for people other than students and office workers. The main office of the Wind of Velar Delivery Company could be found here._

 _And finally the Tyrrhenian District sits roughly near the center, surrounded by the other blobs and canals. It has the least canals of all the districts, but makes up for it by being a hill in the center of the city. The district is home to the wealthy members of the city, as well as foreign dignitaries. Some of the fanciest villas can be found on the island._

 _Overall, Alistier's architecture is reminiscent of other cities and towns in Vale. Apartment buildings dominate the streets, as there is little room for individual housing outside of the Tyrrhenian district and Sargasso District. The city seems a little cramped due to this. The canals truly add something to the city, and a good deal of money is spent maintaining the canals and fixtures around them._

* * *

 **Notes:**

I think, at the rate I'm going, maybe I should just edit the first chapter and make this worthy of being stand alone. I'll probably need to do some editing. I certainly know I've jumped into sequels without reading the first book. A good writer, I think, can make it work somewhat. Thanks for your time everyone _!_

Also I decided to add a list of songs that I listened to while writing the chapter. While not the entire playlist (which is a bit ridiculous), it's going to include songs that I feel influenced how I wrote the chapter. Just something to listen to if you're curious as to what I would put where, or why I paced certain scenes are certain way. In my opinion, music helps action move, even if it's just text.

 _Songs: (ARTIST - SONG - REASON)_

Kenny Loggins - Highway to the Danger Zone \- I have no idea how this came to be, but I figured that the guys would be into cheesey 80s MACHO FILMS.  
Ragnarok Online OST - Steel Me \- I was deciding upon either this or Al De Baran for the theme of Alistier, but given it's current state, I think this fits better.  
Ragnarok Online OST - Theme of Al De Baran \- The song that should be playing while they're at the dining hall talking to each other. It's sweet, simple, and reminds me of friendship/camaraderie.


	3. Memory 02: Back Again

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 02: Back Again

* * *

Another month or two passed before anything eventful happened. Welkin spent most of his time helping with search and rescue instead of being a _relatively_ normal courier. The message telling him he was released from medical service startled him awake. He felt pretty sore this morning. His arms had been killing him from all the heavy lifting. He quickly got dressed and picked up his gear to head to the office. Stepping onto the now clean streets of Alistier, he breathed in the wet air and looking out into the Grand Canal. He held out a free hand from under the apartment awning, examining the light sprinkle. They were transitioning from cool weather to hot, and the weather was starting to show. He strode quickly down the block and into the restaurant The Amaranthine Kitchen.

"Morning kid. Are you done being a hero yet?" Welkin looked up as he walked in, grinning at the older man behind the counter. The receding amaranth pink hair had faded to a light pink with age, and he wore a battered old apron on top of laundered work clothes. His outfit seemed very poorly fit due to his large stature. His right fist was gripped tightly onto a comically large wooden ladle while he wiped his other hand on a hand towel that hung on his belt. He stood behind a counter with many pots bubbling away behind him, filled with delicious smelling soups and stews. To the man's right, a large heated case held a huge roasted pig.

He cast his piercing grey eyes on Welkin, his son. Welkin didn't answer and took a seat at the bar, resting his arms on the counter. Blaise Amaranth slid a bowl of rice porridge with a pair of fried dough sticks up to him.

Welkin spared no time digging into the thick pork rice porridge, "Believe it or not, yeah I'm done. I'm kinda tired of women _swooning_ over me when I princess carry them." His father gave a hearty guffaw as he waved to another morning customer.

"And here I thought you liked that. Especially when you went gallivanting around Vale. Don't think I haven't heard stories mister 'Oh I'm just a courier, I don't look for danger!' Your mother would raise an eyebrow at your choice in company."

Welkin shook his head, "Not when every woman is about twice my weight. And taller. And older. And…and just a list of other stuff!" He instinctively shivered at the memory over how a bunch of older women kept hitting on him yesterday. He wasn't bothered by their looks, but they started getting touchy…

Yeah butt slaps were a bit too far.

"Oh please. Alistier is the city of beauties. Look at your mother. And your sisters." Welkin held up a finger as he swallowed some porridge and fried dough.

"First, yeah it might be, but I swear it's like no one in the city exercises these days." Welkin continued putting away the porridge. "I blame your cooking. The Kitchen's always been super popular in the Adriatic district."

"Glad you like it, kid. Wish your sisters could be here." Blaise served up another hearty bowl of porridge to another man at the bar.

"Well, when mom said she wanted to travel and took 'em west, you can't really argue against her." Welkin put the spoon back into the bowl and leaned back in the stool seat. "She's a bit too strong to just stay around here you know. Though I think she could've single handedly saved the city if she was here."

" _Yep._ " His dad emphasized the p with a pop, "Your mother's a bit blood thirsty. Your sisters took after her. You did too, you damn troublemaker." His father picked up the bowl and put it in the sink as he put a plate of fresh steamed barbequed pork buns in front of him. "I'm still pissed that you use HER name over mine! Amaranth is an honorable name, boy. Our line is full of combat chefs; each learning from the masters of cooking themselves! All Fenrirs do is _fight_. That ain't no way to live!"

"Let it go, dad. You know I'm just lazy with names. Amaranth is slower to write than Fenrir." Welkin picked up a single bun hesitantly, "And I don't know if I can finish this."

"You'll damn well finish it and you know it. You're becoming all bone! I told you there was no good food in Vale. Outside of that noodle stand. Master…I forget his name, was my noodle making teacher." Welkin sighed and reluctantly bit into the delicious bun. He didn't like feeling bloated after breakfast, but the damn things were _too_ good.

Welkin shook his head after finishing the buns and walked behind the counter to help his dad with the dishes. He pulled off his gauntlets and placed them on the counter, rolling up his sleeves to work. "So…you got a girlfriend don't you?" His dad asked after he finished serving some more customers. It was starting to get really busy in there, but thankfully his army of servers were very capable.

Welkin shot his dad a glance and raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"You never wore pink before. And when you did you _hated_ it." He gestured to the pink jacket he had on. "Your mother and sisters tried so many times. Pink and purple. I remember that outfit." Welkin shivered at the memory. It had been their attempt at trying to give him some sort of formal outfit. "Has to be, I know your mother changed me when I started dating her."

"It was lilac and amaranth. And I didn't wear that because it was UGLY - it still is!" His father waved his arm dismissively at the colors, "And, lemme ask, why do you care?"

"Well, there comes a time when a boy becomes a man, and when he becomes a man he needs a wo-"

"Okay, that's that. I'll talk to you later dad. Gotta go to work." Welkin finished the large stack of dishes, making sure they were cleaned to _perfection_. His father wouldn't have it any other way. Never had. The damn ladle was practically a mace in his dad's hand, and he always brandished it when dirty dishes were involved.

"Oh _sure_ , run away when I ask about your relationships." His father quipped as he hugged his son, "Get outta here, you." Welkin slapped his dad on side of the shoulder, "And TRY to call me when you're leaving or coming." Welkin waved behind him and went on his way.

Welkin quickly made his way to the office. He flagged down a canal boat going to the Sargasso district and jumped in. The boat shook from his heavy landing before making its way. He took a moment to think about his job as a courier. The CCTs made communication easy; hell, he used it every day to some extent. The biggest stuff he delivered around was packages and letters with no return addresses. Maybe it was time to think of alternate careers. Maybe reapply to Beacon? Become a huntsman? He was probably under qualified, because he didn't really have the most traditional of hunting education. Three guys in a jail cell teaching him combat and tricks didn't really match up to…well, any academy education. Seriously, how do you tell the difference between a beowolf and a beowolf with a little more white bits?

He entered the office and waved to Sully in the back room. Since he arrived, Sully had tried to reform the company by sending out messages to everyone still alive. What should have been a simple recall for headcount turned into a difficult mess as many couriers outright quit or failed to answer. So now Sully was in the office behind him managing the books while he manned the front.

And being on the front simply meant that he was cleaning the place up.

There was just so much dust everywhere. And rubble. Can't forget that.

He finished sweeping what he could and dusted his hands off. That was one thing off the "to clean" list. He picked up a big blue tarp he had bought earlier in the week and headed upstairs. The ceiling had collapsed for whatever reason, and he made his way over the gaping hole (and over the damned pool table he had lost so much money at) to cover it in tarp.

"Hey boyo! Geddown here!" Sully called out. He finished nailing the tarp in place, making sure to move some of the bins to catch the rainwater.

Welkin went downstairs to greet Sully and his father. "Dad? What're you doing here?"

"I thought you'd want some work outside of being a handyman." He pulled out a small brown package. "I need this delivered to Vale. It's not that important, but I'd like to get it out to him. Welkin picked up the package and looked at Sully.

"Well, ya got work boy. You know how this goes." Welkin nodded and pulled his dad over to go over the normal procedure for hiring couriers. Weight prices, rates, fees, all the financial mumbo jumbo.

"And that's pretty much it. I just need you to sign here." Welkin handed over a form. The form declared the courier was in no way associated with the person delivering the package, and that the person signing it (the customer) is liable to any problems there are with customs. His father signed the paper and went to pull his wallet out, but Welkin held his hand up and winked, "Thank you for choosing Star of Polaris, sir."

"I'll catch you later son." He clicked his tongue and snapped his finger at Welkin. "I still want to hear about your girlfriend later." Welkin sighed and saluted lazily as his dad sauntered off back to the waiting canal boat. He walked over to the locker in the back office and some tasteless protein bars for the road.

"That's comin' outta your pay boy." Sully muttered as he walked past him. Welkin nodded slowly, "But it's alright, helpin' your old man like that. Yer goin' to A Simple Wok. Downtown Vale. Package to…huh. Storekeeper." Welkin leaned over to look, and the damn name really was just Storekeeper. Sully shook his head, "Yer dad's weird."

"Tell me about it. Hey I'll see you later Sully. You get anyone else to come back?"

"Yep. Convinced a few others. It'll take some time, but I think we'll make it, Welks. Call me if there's trouble. I'll come down and help ye' out. Oh, and take these other things for delivery, since you're on the way." Welkin packed it all away in his bag and strode quickly down the street towards the parking garage, a small smile on his face. He silently wondered if he could surprise the team with a visit. After work that is.

* * *

Yang shot herself forward and delivered a vicious uppercut to a poor grunt. The man went flying away from the impact, landing somewhere in a stack of empty drums. She cocked her fist back and loaded another shell, looking at her opponents. They were bog standard White Fang minions; and while a few stood out as capable and dangerous, the majority were rather…incompetent to say the least. Off to the right, also surrounded by White Fang, was Sun Wukong in the middle of a whirling dance of death.

The two blondes had volunteered for distraction duty, given they were "the least subtle of any person they had" according to Blake and Weiss. Yang thought herself as a capable sneak. She simply decided it was more fun to kick a door open than to lock pick it. Ruby, Blake, and Weiss has gone around to see what was in the containers White Fang had been hauling. Sun was just in the area and Blake convinced him to help (not that that was hard). Blake seemed a little more cheery since they agreed to help her investigate White Fang's activities. It led them back to the docks, and they were lucky enough to find a processing warehouse White Fang had been using.

Blake was breaking them into the office areas while security was distracted. According to the plan, Weiss would be doing the computer stuff since she was the most trained out of all them. Ruby was there in case they needed brute force in the form of a high impact sniper rifle. Meanwhile, Sun and Yang beat the crap out of security to keep their attention away.

As she slammed her fist into another minion with wicked glee, she whirled around and roundhouse kicked one who tried to slash at her with his machete. She was having a blast, and given Sun's excited cursing and yelling, so was Sun. She pulled out two new stacks of ammo and reloaded her gauntlets, smiling all the while. She turned her head to see a man rushing her with a club, but he was intercepted by Sun's gun-staff. He had thrown it at the man, and the shotgun fired on impact. Yang picked up his staff and tossed it back when he back flipped closer to avoid a strike.

"Alright I'm sick of this. You kids are about to eat shit." They turned to see a lieutenant or something hefting up a tri-barrel Gatling cannon. He was standing on a bunch of containers with his back to one. The gun slowly spun to life, "Eat shiiiiit!" He roared and laughed as the barrels lit up. Yang and Sun dodged behind a stack of containers.

Yang lifted up her scroll, "Hey, are you three done by any chance?" She asked as the shells tore into their cover. The loud whining of the cannon's spin was drowned out by the occasional _BRRRRRT_. Sun peeked around the corner, and dodged back as soon as a stream of tracers tore apart the corner he had been next to.

"Almost done. Weiss is wiping the camera footage right now. You can start falling back." Ruby reported. "What's that noise?"

"A minigun." Yang answered nonchalantly. She felt a few dings against her back and rolled away with a grunt. The back of the container, which had so far served as cover, burst open from the cannon fire. Shells tore apart the now weakened metal, and the gunfire only started walking left towards her. "Sun, go right, I'll go left. Ruby, do you think you can hit him from where you are?"

"Uh…Sorry I don't have a shot." Ruby admitted apologetically.

"Well, that's alright. We'll improvise right?!" Sun hollered out as he sprinted to another container. He drew the minigun fire towards him, causing him to curse loudly even more as he got out of sight. Yang popped the corner and shot a few shots at the distracted gunner, but the big man shrugged off the impact and turned back towards her. He held down the trigger and hosed her location, forcing her to displace to another container. "Sheesh, these are dust containers, they're built to be durable in case of an accident. He's just chewing through them!"

"Just. Keep. Running!" Yang yelled back, wondering how Sun even had the breath to yell constantly. She ducked behind another container as the gunfire tore the ground behind her. She took a moment before hitting the deck, the back of the container she was standing by shredded open.

"Not so tough now are you?!" The minigunner laughed manically. He turned his gun onto Sun, "Don't think you can sneak around me!"

Yang peaked around and watched the heavy. She shot out of the corner and launched herself at the gunner. He turned his head and whipped the minigun around, ready to squeeze the trigger and put the brawler in the ground. Time seemed to slow as she readied herself for the barrage, hoping to reach him before he could start hitting her.

Then the minigun exploded with a bang, as the ammo detonated next to the lieutenant. He dropped it in surprise and looked around. Yang's eyes widened as she heard the distinct, loud _crack_ of a high caliber rifle. The man staggered back from the blow. Yang took advantage of the situation and jumped, bringing her fist down onto him. She smashed the lieutenant into the container he was standing in front of and proceeded to lay the beat down, "NOT! SO! TOUGH! NOW! ARE! YOU?!" She yelled and hammered the guy _into_ the container. After she was done, she dusted off her hands in satisfaction. Sun whistled at the beat down.

"Was that Ruby?" He asked as he looked at the broken minigun. A single precise shot had detonated the explosive shells, causing a catastrophic chain reaction.

"Ruby, did you get the gunner?" Ruby appeared by her side with a woosh and flowing rose petals.

"Huh? No. I just got here." She looked at the damage. "Ouch. He's going to be feel that in the morning."

"Weird…" Yang brushed her hair back, "Well, whatever. Let's get out of here." She pat Ruby on the back. "Did we get enough to satisfy Blake?"

"About that…it was as if someone hit this place first." Ruby explained as they snuck out of the warehouse and into an alley where Blake and Weiss were waiting. Sun was sitting on a barrel, chewing on a banana he had somehow acquired. "The terminal was cleaned out, and the reason we took so long was because we were trying to recover it."

"So…what happened?" Sun asked with a mouthful of banana.

"Well…we kinda, sorta, just stole the whole hard drive." Ruby pulled out a metal computer hard drive. The scratches and dinged metal proof of its rough handling. Sun and Yang just stared at her, before they heard police sirens approaching. "OH! It's the fuzz! We should go!" The team gave her an odd look for her choice of slang before sprinting off into the night.

* * *

 _Article Entry: Welkin Fenrir "Crasher" – An Updated Profile_

 ** _Name_** _: Welkin Amaranth-Fenrir, also recognized as "Crasher"_

 ** _Age_** _: 19_ _ **Race and Sex**_ _: Human Male_

 ** _Hair Color_** _: Amaranth Pink_ _ **Eye Color**_ _: Blue_ _ **Complexion**_ _: Tanned White_

 ** _Height_** _: Six Feet Two Inches._ _ **Weight**_ _: 210 Pounds, 226 Pounds Armored and Armed_

 ** _Aura_** _: Dark Pink_ _ **Semblance**_ _: Force absorption_

 ** _Outfit:_** _Pink, White, Red_ _ **Weapon**_ _: Rosasturm (Vermillion Blitz v.2)_

 ** _Accessories_** _: Long Scarf, Messenger Bag_

 ** _Theme_** _: Thrasher by Dance with the Dead_

 ** _Brief Bio_** _:_

 _Welkin grew up working delivery at his father's restaurant in Alistier. His mother is a medical huntswoman. Although he was born Amaranthine-Fenrir, he usually drops the Amaranth (his father's side) to keep it short. His penchant for fighting landed him at Signal Academy. Welkin proved himself to be one of the most relentless fighters at Signal. However, his time there abruptly ended when he was caught in the Signal Incident. He was arrested, but due to circumstances, was given a lighter sentence._

 _Welkin served a few years in juvenile prison before being transferred to Alabaster State Penitentiary. He learned a little more about being a hunter in jail (from jailers, ex-hunters, and so on,) and fulfilled the requirements to graduate from Signal. He was picked up by the company Star of Polaris Courier Services after jail. Welkin worked there before his involvement in the Vale Crisis. After the Crisis, Welkin assisted in repairs before he left to go home to Alistier._

 ** _Aura and Semblance_** _:_

 _Welkin's aura appears to be dark pink. His aura is tuned for regeneration and healing, as his combat style involves getting hit. He recovers from wounds faster than others, and can withstand punishment that would break normal hunters. He's tougher than most, but that depends on his semblance usage and enemy aggression._

 _His semblance is force absorption. The semblance appears to give light force resistance when passive. When active, he can absorb a certain percent of all force, storing it away like dust in a canister. He can only absorb a certain amount before he is forced to deflect, rather than absorb. He can absorb or deflect force from just about any source: taking blows from enemies, landing from high positions, this crashing into him, and so forth._

 _In combat, he defaults to 30% absorption, so as to not burn through his aura too quickly. At max power, Welkin can take even the mightiest of blows and still be standing still, but it is very taxing to his body and his aura. Welkin can use absorbed force to power up his combat abilities, such as increase the power of his strikes, improve the height he can jump, etc. Out of combat, Welkin_ must _vent any stored force due to the risk it poses to himself and others. Note: "vented" force often comes in the form of a concussive blast away from him._

 ** _Combat Style_** _:_

 _Welkin is a close combat specialist, able to get in quick and cripple with powerful blows. He's built like an Altesian heavy mech, and, unlike other fighters, Welkin doesn't evade much. It takes quite a bit of force to knock him back, and he knows it. Welkin will get in the face of his opponent and force a slugging match, and slugging matches are in his favor. He's much more grounded than other fighters, opting to stand and fight than evade. Time has taught him to fight to win, and he's more willing to use dirty tricks if necessary._

 _His combat style is a mix of boxing and mixed martial arts. Most of his power is in his punches due to his gauntlets, but he's trained to use kicks when possible. He's infamous for grappling and tackling, especially his boosted shoulder tackle. It is here he earned his nickname, as he typically at least_ once _in a fight, crashes into someone._

 _Despite being in the slow category of huntsmen, Welkin can be deceptively fast thanks to his semblance. In combat, Welkin is deceptively clever despite looking like a meathead linebacker, and he will utilize his bursts of speed to catch people off guard. He's fairly good at fighting speedy foes, as he's patient and has a quick reaction time to counter or grab flighty opponents._

 _Of course, for anyone he can't reach, Welkin's an acceptable marksman. If foes prefer to not "man-fight" him, he will readily accept a gunfight while closing the distance. His semblance allows him to absorb recoil as well, so he's not as worried about follow up shots as others._

 ** _Equipment_** _:_

 _Rosasturm – A major upgrade to Welkin's original Vermillion Blitz. The gauntlets, when activated, fire off pistons that launch a dense striking plate forward. The combined impact of both his fist, followed up by the striking plate, launches foes and does incredible impact damage. The greaves operate in a similar fashion, except instead of launching striking plates, it digs a pair of rectangular spikes into the ground. This helps lock him down to surfaces in combat and take hits better._

 _While built off the same frame, a majority of the major combat components have been removed and upgraded. Welkin's put in a newer, stronger striking plate, and improved the articulation of the gauntlets to give better fine hand movement – something the original hindered. He has also since pulled out the old hydraulic/spring system for a newer piston system that provides more power. Welkin's also removed the electrical module due to its weight and installed a dual dust feed slot, which allows him to utilize dust in his strikes. Due to the changes however, the weight of the gauntlets has gotten higher, but that's only good for him._

 _Hurricane IId – Welkin's personal sniper rifle. Unlike the "bravo" version, the "delta" Hurricane has a newer fluted barrel, better polymer parts, and has many overall improvements to reduce weight. The folding mechanism has also been streamlined, so when put away, the "delta" looks more like an inconspicuous long box than previous models. Welkin has started to use this rifle less, as .338 ammunition is pricey and not easy to produce. Still, when it comes to long range defense, the "delta" provides more than enough stopping power and range._

* * *

 **Notes:**

Man, I should consider throwing up the names of the songs I'm listening to while writing this. Sometimes I feel like that influences my style. Also building a "soundtrack" sounds pretty cool. I'll probably add them later though. Questions and comments are appreciated!


	4. Memory 03: Noodlebros

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 03: Noodle Bros

* * *

Welkin weaved through the poor, late afternoon traffic on Vale's highway system. It was pretty bad, but thankfully he had a bike and could just dodge most of it. He was coming back from a delivery that went out of town. Thankfully, it was uneventful given the distance he had to drive. Welkin turned at the off ramp and slowed at the light, fiddling with his scarf slightly. He leaned back, checking the holographic map that appeared above his motorcycle dash. After double checking the traffic, he re-centered the map on him and made a left turn on the green.

A few blocks down, Welkin turned to a smaller, quieter street. He drove up to the noodle stand that his final delivery was to. Seated at the stand, interestingly called _A Simple Wok_ , were two men. One wore a red jacket and had odd blue hair, but totally rocked the look. The other was Sun, still keeping to the open shirt policy that made all the women swoon for him. He dismounted his bike and walked over, taking the package and clipboard over. Welkin put a hand on Sun's shoulder and grinned, "Yo, there room for one more?"

"Oh shit, Crasher, didn't think I'd see you here." Sun turned from his massive bowl of ramen, "Yeah, you're welcome to join us. Unless you're working of course." He gestured at the package and clipboard in the courier's hands.

"Ah, last package of the day. I could use a meal. Been driving all day on fumes, and I gotta say it sucks." Welkin handed the package to the old man and got him to sign off a few forms. The storekeep smiled kindly and said something about how he missed teaching at a culinary school. Welkin put the stuff away into his bag and buckled it shut, safe and secure. He pulled a seat and ordered the regular. No sooner did he order did a massive bowl slide in front of him with a can of Everybody Likes Grape soda.

"Oh yeah, Neptune, this is Welkin. We call him Crasher 'cause he crashes into _everything_. Welks, this is Neptune, partner and teammate from Haven." Sun leaned back and the blue haired young man waved.

"Sup. You from around here?" Neptune asked cooly before sipping on his can of Ol' King Cold.

"Sorta. Bit north. From Alistier. You staying at Beacon with Sun I'm guessing?" The man nodded. "Cool, cool. Good to meet you man. Call me Welkin, Welks, Crasher, whatever works." Welkin dug into the ramen, not realizing how hungry he was from driving all day. Eating just wasn't something couriers had time to do sometimes, and today was no exception. "What're you two doin' here? You're a long way from home."

"The tournament man! That's comin' up and me n' Neptune signed up to be transferred earlier." Sun slurped on some more of the massive bowl of ramen.

"Yeah, that. Sun's been here longer though 'cause he snuck out." Neptune shook his head at his monkey friend.

"Hey, I didn't want to stay any longer with all the paperwork done. I'm sorry I didn't take you with me, but you're a pretty bad sneak." Sun gestured at him with his wooden chopsticks. Besides, it was _mostly_ legal! I just…you know, left earlier."

"And left me in charge of the rest of the team, and had most of the administration hounding me. You're a real friend, Sun." Welkin shook his head, containing a laugh while eating. "You know, Welkin, you look like you're loaded for grimm. What's that all about? You working a side job while studying at Beacon?" Welkin shook his head, finishing a mouthful of noodles.

"Nope. Not a student. I'm courier who's somewhat trained. Went to Signal, but then after some shit went down, I got expelled and some other junk." Welkin responded, trying to act nonchalant about his history.

"What he's tryin' to say is, Neptune, is that he's a grade A criminal and shit, and he's been to the slammer longer than even _me_. Dude's loaded just in case he needs to fight." Sun grinned.

"Whoa. You serious?" Neptune looked at the courier, who sighed.

"I'd rather not talk about it. But if you're curious, yes I was in juvie for a few years. Then proper jail when I hit eighteen. Learned a bit from there, but it ain't academy level training and I'm not lookin' forward to dealing with a _lot_ of grimm like you jokers do."

"Huh…that's…interesting. Didn't know they even taught stuff like that _in jail_." Neptune leaned back, examining the mountain of a man. While hunched over a bowl of ramen, Welkin didn't really seem the type to commit crimes. "Seems like a bad idea, no offense." Welkin waved his hand dismissively, not bothered by the comment.

"Oh, don't worry bro, he's not like that. He's pretty chill when you get to know him. Me and him worked together when Vale was bein' rebuilt. I can vouch for him. Just don't ask why he's called crasher." Sun looked over at Welkin, grinning. He leaned over and whispered to Neptune, "He likes to crash into things."

"Look, accidents happen _to me_! I don't _PLAN_ on crashing into stuff. It just happens to be in the way!" Welkin shook his head, raising his hands in mock despair.

"Oh sure, blame it on your unlucky number Mister Thirteen." Welkin socked Sun's shoulder lightly with his left arm. "Last time I remember working together, you threw yourself into a massive beowolf, lifted it off its feet, and crashed into the side of a building with it."

Neptune chuckled and took another bite out of the noodles, "Wish I could've seen that. Do you leave man sized holes when you crash into things? Also why're you thirteen? It's not a nickname because you're so unlucky right?"

"Look, that wall shouldn't have been there. And it's just an identification number. The way my company works is that they put you in a block of oh, fifteen people? And from there you get a number. Keeps the paperwork organized you know? I'm number thirteen in block four." Welkin explained, "But that's boring shit. So what're you two doin' out here? I thought you'd be hanging out with Blake, Sun."

Sun scratched his cheek, slightly red, "Well, you know, gotta give the girl some space man. I like hangin' out with her, you know? But Blake gets…you know, Blakey." Welkin nodded. "Actually you probably don't know. Blondie's practically a walkin', talkin', action bomb."

"Blondie?" Neptune asked. "One of the girls you were talkin' about on the way here I'm guessing? Cause you're describing yourself also." Sun simply nodded with a grin, "Nice. She sounds like a lot of fun."

"If the day goes by without ten puns, then she's having a bad day." Welkin grinned, "But there's no such thing as a day without puns with her." He paused momentarily. "Fuck, her name can be a pun too!"

"What do you me—oh fuck. Dude. You can't let her use that." Sun put a hand on the courier's shoulder.

"What is it?" The two looked at Neptune.

Sun took a breath and Welkin pat him on the back, "So her name's Yang Xiao Long." Sun began, and Neptune could _already_ see where he was going with it. "And since he's been outta town for a few months…She's been waiting Xiao Long for him." Welkin smacked the back of his head and Neptune cringed.

"That was terrible on a whole new level." Neptune shook his head. The three turned back around and went back to eating their noodles, making small remarks about each other's personal tastes or preferences.

* * *

Welkin leaned back slightly, pushing the bowl away from him. Neptune leaned forward, with a hand on his stomach and another to rest his chin on. Sun just smiled in content, having finished both his bowl of ramen and the dish of fried dumplings they ordered. "I feel…" Welkin began.

"Good? 'Cause I feel fantastic." Welkin looked at Sun in disbelief, "I eat a lot man. Gotta pack in the calories so I have energy!"

"Dude. I think its regret." Neptune coughed a little, trying to keep it to himself. He sat back up straight, fixing his posture.

"That's the word. Regret. It was good, but…man." Welkin snapped his fingers and pointed at Neptune.

"Oh don't be like that guys. It was good." Sun finished off his soda. "Heck, I might get another soda to go."

"Where're you two headin' off to?" Welkin asked as he recovered from the food.

"Probably back to Beacon. I mean, curfew ain't for a few hours, so we've got time to make it back slowly. Pretty sure Neptune doesn't want to run either after eating so much."

"That. Is a good assumption. What about you Welkin?"

"Got an apartment nearby that I'm gonna crash in for the night. After that I might visit Beacon if I have time. Keep my presence a secret yeah? I want to surprise the girls." The other two nodded. "So, the tournament. Man that sounds awesome. Throngs of adoring fans cheering you on as you kick ass across a stage?"

"Oh man, didn't know there'd be thongs. Sweet." Sun nodded, letting his mind _appreciate_ the mental image. Welkin face palmed with a resounding _SMACK_.

Neptune whacked him on the back of the head, "Ignore him, for he knows nothing."

"Hey! I know what a thong is!" Sun continued, rubbing the back of his head.

"Throng, Sun. There's an R there." Neptune sighed, "Our illustrious leader, Welkin."

Welkin shook his head and sighed, "Of course. But what do you expect when you've got killer abs like _that_?"

"Hey! I take offense to that. I'm pretty good with grades and reading!"

"Oh yeah? What've you read recently?" Welkin asked.

"Well. Comics mostly. None of that nerdy shi—." Neptune interrupted him.

"Gegegege! Intellectual! There's a difference monkey boy." Neptune raised a finger to stop him. "

"He's right. There is a difference." Welkin added.

"What?! You're on his side Welkin?!" Sun looked at the man in surprise, "I thought you'd be with me on this man!"

Welkin laughed out loud, "Dude, what use is all this muscle," Welkin did some exaggerated arm flexes, "If you don't know _how_ to us it? I'm pretty sure Neptune over there can agree: ladies _love_ a man who's smart and fashionable."

"See Sun? I think it's time to broaden your horizons. Put down the comics and manga, pick up a book or two. I've got some pretty good recommendations." Neptune put an arm around Sun's shoulder, "Depending on your interests, that is."

"Dude, I don't need no stinking books. I've already got the ladies _swooning_ for this." He gestured to his uncovered torso.

Welkin and Neptune put their hands on their chins and thought, nodding a little, "It's a start." They both said. Neptune continued, "Now if we could get you well read, your fan club would increase to include more men and women."

"Yes, that's exactly right." Welkin pulled out his scroll, "Hey what're your numbers? I don't think I ever got yours Sun, and I certainly don't have yours Neptune." They shared numbers and contact information, "Awesome. I'll forward you guys some book recommendations, though I read some dense stuff."

"As a _real_ gentleman should. Don't worry Sun, under my tutelage, you'll see the beauty in literature." Neptune leaned in a little closer, "And show off what you know to that girl you're always talkin' about." Sun turned bright red at that.

"Oh shut up dude!" The group burst out in laughter at Sun's embarrassment, even himself. "Okay. Look. No promises. But start me off with the easy stuff. I don't want to have to start reading shit like physics or the existence of reality."

"I've got a book on that. Not on physics, because screw math, but I've got stuff on reality." The two looked at Welkin. "Look, jail was, and still is, _boring_." They nodded in agreement. Sun especially, as he had been thrown in the temporary cells a few times before.

"Alright, enough about books. Let's talk about everyone's favorite hobby here: fighting." Sun looked at the other two with a big smile on his face, "Now, we're _all_ fighters of some level here. You guys excited for the tournament?!"

Neptune gave a thumbs up, "You got it. We're basically unstoppable on the field."

"I can't wait to watch it." Welkin picked up his soda can and took a sip, "Can't participate since I'm not a student. But you guys better know I'mma be cheerin' for you."

"Dude, what about the exhibition rounds before the tournament? Think he qualifies for those?" Sun looked at his more knowledgeable team mate.

Neptune thought for a moment, "Well, I don't actually know. You could apply and see where that goes. You okay with fighting in front of thousands of people? Actually, how do you even fight man?"

Welkin raised his right fist, showing off the gauntlet. He clicked it into action and squeezed, the pistons shooting the striking plate forward with a loud _HISS_. The striking plate reset instantly, clicking back into place. "Man, is punching stuff just popular or what?" Neptune asked as Welkin lowered his fist.

"Nah, I think it's just easier to learn how to punch than it is to swing around a sword or an axe. But it's not just about punching for me."

"Aw, dude, you need to see Crasher in action. He lives up to his goddamn name." Sun slapped Welkin's shoulder, "I have never seen someone eat a hit like he has and keep trucking."

"I like getting hit. That's all there is to it." Sun and Neptune looked at him, their mouths slightly open to o's. Then they started laughing when Welkin realized what he said, "N-not in that way man! Com'on!"

"Oookay, Well I have something to tell blondie when I see her. She'll _love_ to know you _like_ getting hit." Sun couldn't contain his laugher as well as Neptune. Welkin raised his fist menacingly at the two, "D-dude, it's just a joke. Don't worry, we get what you mean."

Neptune coughed into his sleeve, still grinning widely, "Yeah, totally."

Sun just finished his soda when his scroll started buzzing. He pulled it out and gestured to it, and Neptune and Welkin turned to give him some privacy. Well, as much privacy as being in the middle could afford him. "Hey Blake, whatsup? Uh…we had homework?" The two young men not on their scroll raised their eyebrows. "Yeah, yeah. We're on our way back. I'll talk to you about it later then? Yeah. Awesome. I'll see you in a bit." Sun ended the call and slid it back into the pocket. He reached into his other pocket to pull his wallet out before Welkin stopped him, "What?"

"Let me." Welkin pulled out his wallet and handed the old man his Lien card. Sun started to protest before Welkin put an end to it, "Ah, don't worry about it. Once you start making it big, lemme know and I'll cash in. But this round's on me. As thanks you know? For introducing me to your cool bro. Hope this leads to a long and awesome broship." He raised his can of soda to Neptune, who clinked his against it.

"You bet. We'll hang out when we're free man, just let us know." Neptune put the now empty can down.

As the men turned their separate ways for the night, Sun called out, "Oh yeah, if you wanna join us for gym days, they're Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Every other day we do some kind of combat training or team training." Welkin marked it down on his scroll and waved to them, climbing back onto the motorcycle. As he drove back to his small apartment, he decided he'd visit them sometime tomorrow, assuming there wasn't too much he had to do beforehand.

* * *

 _Article Entry: The Signal Incident_

 _While for the most part, combat schools are very well regulated and safe, there are rare cases where a situation spirals out of control. The Signal Incident is one such situation, where vigilance and security could have prevented it entirely. The circumstances behind the incident are questionable at best, but the courts plainly placed the blame on one of the students of Signal. Welkin Amaranth-Fenrir, while an otherwise outstanding student except in certain academic areas, was tried and sentenced for creating illegal substances on campus grounds. According to sources, the refinery, which was kept in an unused supply closet at one of the gyms, had exploded on Mister Fenrir. The drug which had been brewing there, Morbis-Thela or High Rage, had burst from its containers and badly affected Mister Fenrir._

 _The resultant mayhem from the explosion was compounded with an enraged Mister Fenrir, who had brutally attacked both staff and students, crushing his way through the school on a warpath. He was stopped, ultimately, by another student (who remains anonymous) and was subsequently treated at a hospital in Vale._

 _At court, Welkin pleaded innocent to the destruction of school property from the explosion and the creation of illegal substances on campus property. However, he_ did _plead guilty for attacking the staff while in a drug induced state. Investigators found evidence that there was a second party involved, but could never find substantial evidence that pointed to another person. Additionally, investigators were unable to clearly link Mister Fenrir to the bombing and drug making. In the aftermath of the incident, Mister Fenrir was expelled from Signal academy and served a few years in juvenile detention before being transferred to Alabaster State Penitentiary. The judges lessened his sentence due to his age and lack of solid evidence, but he was still serving time for all the people he had hurt._

 _While some blame the incident on Mister Fenrir, a good amount of students and staff that were friends with him believe that he was a victim of circumstance. Mister Fenrir finished whatever normal schooling he had in juvenile detention before he was sent to the penitentiary. He was released early for both good behavior._

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_

Maybe I should write a little less. It seems a bit excessive given how much I type out on a regular basis.

Also, while writing this, another thing came to my mind, and I may be starting another story soon. This time, separate from Thirteen and Tomorrow, Tomorrow. It's going to be different, as I've never written the genre before, but I hope I get it out and see if it interests people. It's still RWBY, and it's going to focus on team RWBY and their actions.

Tentatively, the project is called Rose Colored Diamonds. And the genre? Suspense/Horror. What am I getting myself into eh?

It just hit me that title totally sounds like I ship Ruby/Weiss. Huh. I'm going to end the stream of conscious here before it gets more out of hand.

Thanks for your time! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing this.

Songs: ( _ARTIST - SONG - Reason)_

Final Fantasy XIV OST - Agent of Inquiry - I always liked how Neptune and Sun were in the show. They were these super cool, but at the same time hilariously dorky guys. Especially Neptune. When I thought of how they'd interact, well...I could genuinely imagine them becoming fast bros. This song is a little wacky, as you'd expect from the birth of a NEW BROHOOD.

Final Fantasy XIV OST - Moonfire Faire - It seemed right. Something light hearted and comical for the Noodlebros.


	5. Memory 04: Sparring Buddies

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 04: Sparring Buddies

* * *

This. Was totally not planned. Welkin rested his head on a free hand as the other pressed an ice pack to his lower right jaw. He sat in Professor Goodwitch's class, in a row close to the center of the small arena they were in. He let his thoughts wander to the previous night.

* * *

 _The Night Before_

Welkin had been hoping to drop by in a surprise visit in the evening, the day after he hung out with Sun and Neptune at the noodle stand. He was having a great day thanks to a few short jobs and more money in his pocket. After he completed a few short deliveries and checked in with his father, Welkin dropped by the Beacon dorms. He strode through the campus with a smile on his face, humming a jaunty sea shanty his dad taught him. As he made his way down the hall to the room Sun had pointed out to him, he couldn't help but wonder what Beacon's visitor rules were.

When he reached the door Sun gave him, Welkin raised his right hand to knock, only for the door to swing open quickly. "HAHA, I HAVE YOU NOW FIENDS!" He raised an eyebrow at team JNPR, particularly at Nora Valkyrie. They had assembled a comically large potato gun—no, _cannon_. And the barrel was pointed at him. Before he could react or activate his semblance, he heard the loud _THWUMP_ and _CRASH_. He found himself laying on his back with a _really_ painful bruise forming on his jaw. The oversized potato cannon had fired a jury rigged large potato with a dust booster, and the damn thing struck him square in the jaw. He heard the potato bounce harmlessly off to the side, before it damn thing popped into a mess of potato and confetti.

As he lifted a hand to rub his inflamed jaw, he tried to push himself up to find out he had been shot _through_ another door and was in another dorm room. Everyone except Ruby had been in the process of changing out of their combat outfits and into their uniforms. Weiss and Blake stared in disbelief, still in their state of half dress. They immediately screamed out something along the lines of "Pervert." He heard and saw Yang laughing hard at his predicament, unable to fully button up her dress shirt to cover her ample chest due to what Nora had done. Before Welkin could respond, a flash of black and red caused him to black out.

At the very least he had been able to file away the memory.

* * *

Welkin blinked awake sometime later. He cast his gaze around the room he was in, only to meet the stares of both teams JNPR and RWBY. Someone had dragged him to the window and propped him up against it. "Hey Crasher. Still living up to your name." Yang hummed, giving him a cheeky grin. They finished dressing, thankfully. Welkin blinked a few times and propped a hand onto the desk next to him to push himself up.

"Fuck me, I was not ready for that." He leaned against the desk to deal with the wobbly feeling in his legs. The side of his head was pounding, and his jaw throbbed from the bruise. He lifted a hand to the side of his head to make sure he wasn't bleeding. Ruby yelled "Language!" and Welkin nodded to her in apology before digging a mini chocolate bar and handing it to her.

It was weird, being punished for cussing. But at least it was just candy and not money. He made a mental note to get more mini bars before he remembered where he was.

Yang grinned like a predator, "I'm pretty sure that's not what happened. Unless you call kissing a scythe getting la-."

"Don't judge his fetishes. Err, I mean, let's not go there." Blake said as she returned from the bathroom with a cold compress. She handed it over to him before slapping him hard on his already injured cheek. This time, he was prepared so the blow didn't hurt nearly as badly. He pressed the compress against his battered cheek. Weiss strode over and pulled his hand (and compress) from the cheek, before immediately walloping him on the same side. He just sighed in defeat and annoyance.

"Whoa! You were the one who mentioned fetishes. I was just making a joke." Yang grinned at her partner.

"I'm sooo sorry! I didn't think it was you Welks!" Nora bounded over at the speed of sound. "We were having a prank off, so we were like, building stuff and seeing if who was better at messing with the others. Naturally, I thought they came knockin' for dinner, so I figured we should test fire the thing you know? And like, who'da thought it'd be YOU behind the door!" Nora pat him on the shoulder as the headache set in.

"Slow…just slow down. It's alright, I'm not hurt. Mostly. What the heck did you guys do to make her build a potato _cannon_?!" Welkin glanced around at team RWBY, who hummed and looked at their feet. "Well, Nora. The potato cannon works. Aim it lower so you don't peg people in the face."

"Sorry I hit you so hard Welks. It was just kinda surprising." Ruby rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "I really thought it was trouble. Or a pervert."

"What do you mean by "or", Ruby? This is Welks. He's trouble. And a pervert." Yang sauntered over, grinning madly and leaned an arm on his free shoulder. "Cheeky boy, using Nora's cannon as an excuse…Betcha liked it." Yang teased.

"It was genuinely an accident. I'm sorry." Welkin shrugged with his free hand, allowing Yang to put her weight on his shoulder. "I'll make it up to you guys. Promise. How about that old fashion ice cream parlor in Vale?" Welkin smiled weakly, trying to at least dissipate the hostile air.

"Ooh, yes! I'm in!" Ruby jumped up in excitement. The prospect of _more_ sugar was too appealing to her.

Blake sighed, "Fine. I forgive you. But never again." She shot a death glare at him.

Weiss huffed, "You are such a brute. You're paying for the most expensive thing at that shop. Got it?" Welkin nodded. "Good." Welkin let out another sigh and looked at Yang.

"What? Oh you know I don't forgive you Crasher." She poked the side of his head before moving off his shoulder and towards the hallway. "Com'on guys, let's grab dinner before anything else crazy happens." They filed out of the room, with Welkin tailing the two teams. Then it hit him.

"Hey wait! Why am I the one to apologize if I was the one shot into the room by Nora?!" Team RWBY gave him the most withering stare he could experience while Nora laughed nervously, and he backed down. They were about to continue down the hall when they ran into Professor Goodwitch. Welkin sucked in his breath and tried to sink into the back, although it was kind of hard for someone his height and size to hide.

"I had come to investigate the report of a loud crash. What happened, and why is Mister Fenrir here?" Goodwitch crossed her arms, riding crop ready to lay the beat down on someone. "Why are you hurt?"

"Uh…ma'am. I sorta…got shot into the room when I knocked on team JNPR's door and uh...ate a potato cannon round to the face." Welkin waved meekly with the cold compress. Professor Goodwitch glared at him before turning to team JNPR.

"And just _why_ was team JNPR building a potato cannon in their room?"

"We don't have a potato cannon!" Nora immediately injected, a bit too fast to be believable. Welkin stared wide eyed at Nora. Professor Goodwitch fixed her glasses. She gave Nora an even more withering stare than team RWBY had given Welkin. Truly, a master at withering stares. "Oookay, we _might_ have a potato cannon…" Nora smiled weakly.

Pyrrha let the gears run to formulate an excuse. She smiled weakly before saying, "Sorry Professor, we were trying out an experiment before dinner time. Professor Port's lectures said that a potato gun was a good alternative to fighting grimm when ammunition is limited."

Goodwitch glared at Pyrrha to see if she would break under her gaze, "We fired it off by accident right when Welkin was knocking, and the force shot him into the other room. It works, but uh…he accidentally caught team RWBY in a state of undress." Pyrrha pointed to the bad bruises on Welkin's cheek, who had lifted the compress to reveal the nasty wound.

Professor Goodwitch rolled her eyes, her shoulders loosened at the mention of Port's lectures. "Next time, do keep the science experiments to the _workshop_ so we don't have another accident like this. And don't fire it at _people_. Professor Port knows what he's talking about, even if his lectures seem a little… _farfetched_." Professor Goodwitch put the emphasis on the last word. "I will let this pass this once, since it was an accident. But Mister Fenrir, as punishment for the peeping, you are to participate in my combat class tomorrow as an opponent for a student. If you do not show up, you will be kicked off Beacon without a second thought." She turned to leave, hitting the tablet to bring up maintenance crew to fix the door and other damage. "Oh, and that's without a parachute."

The teams joked at Welkin's misfortune, "So, lucky thirteen strikes again, eh Crasher?" Yang elbowed his waist as he glumly joined them for dinner.

* * *

 _Present Time_

"…and that concludes our discussion of aura management in combat." Professor Goodwitch tapped her scroll a few times, changing the screens around the small arena. "Now, for some combat practice. Mister Welkin Fenrir here has so generously offered to serve as an opponent for today's practice. While he may not have the same level of training as you all, you would best take caution: dangerous opponents come from all walks of life. Step into the arena Mister Fenrir."

Welkin pushed himself up and leapt over the table and down into the arena, landing with a heavy thump. He tossed the cold compress he was holding back up to his seat, hearing it land with a soft rattle. The bruises from last night had mostly healed up, and while he felt a little sore, he was more than ready to fight. He stretched his fingers outwards before bringing his fists together with a loud clack.

"Any volunteers for first? Remember, today's lecture was on aura management and choosing how and when to use your semblance. Welkin checked his gauntlets and armor as she asked the question. He loaded his sniper rifle with practice stun rounds when she picked a volunteer among the many hands. "Alright Miss Xiao Long, you're up first." Welkin turned white.

"Uh…Professor, I think another student would be a better choice..." Welkin raised his hand to the Professor.

"Afraid of fighting her? And here I thought you were tough." He heard Cardin and his lackeys jeer. Welkin face palmed.

"Yeah, Crasher. Scared of little ol' me? Don't worry, I'll be quick." She cocked her fists and loaded a practice shell.

"I do not see a problem. Besides, think of it as..." Professor Goodwitch gave him a knowing smile, "As…oh, recompense for yesterday evening." Welkin groaned and hung his head.

"Yes ma'am. I'm ready to go." He got into his normal fighting stance. Welkin raised his arms up to his chest and shifted his feet for stability. Yang gave Goodwitch a thumbs up and she began the count down.

"Kick his ass Yang!" Ruby cheered from her seat jubilantly.

"Com'on Welks, you got this bro! You got it!" Sun called out from his seat. He turned to Neptune, who was sitting next to him, "Dude, ten lien on Welks."

"You serious?" Neptune whispered back, so as to not earn the ire of Professor Goodwitch. "Alright deal. Ten on Yang." They quickly shook on it. Blake shook her head, smiling.

"Ten on double knock out." Blake added, the two boys staring at her, "I bet it's a double knock out." They accepted her wager and turned to watch the match.

"Go!" The screens above them flipped to show the aura levels of Yang and Welkin. Yang shot forward at the go and lifted her fist, prepared for the first strike. Welkin stood his ground and threw his fist forward. The two fists connected, the impact causing a shockwave that knocked people back on their seats. Welkin took a step back, his scroll attached to his gauntlet beeping. Both their auras dropped to roughly ninety-five percent.

He cocked his fist backwards with his step and threw it forward. Yang zipped under the fist, getting into his guard. She could hear the piston fire off on the fist, and felt the rush of air from the striking plates missing. Welkin instinctively anchored down and shifted his waist left.

Yang slammed her left fist in a powerful left hook, her Ember Celica firing off a shotgun blast. Welkin took the shot to the chest, flinching from the hit. Yang unleashed a barrage of rapid strikes, pummeling him in the chest and abdomen. He unanchored from his position, adjusted his semblance, and let Yang's combo ender to push him back closer to the wall. Welkin's anchors shot out again, skidding him to a halt.

He looked up to see Yang leaping overhead while firing her bracelets off. Welkin sprinted forward and under Yang, who shot herself downward like a meteor. He slid under Yang's dive and turned while skidding to a halt. Without a pause, Welkin shot forward using some of the force he absorbed from Yang's strikes, launching himself like a missile to shoulder tackle Yang.

Yang landed and turned to see her target, only to be slammed into the wall by the shoulder tackle. She hit the wall hard and was pinned between Welkin and the wall. She quickly delivered two swift kicks two his leg and side, trying to make space for her to work. Welkin parried the kick to the side, but her second kick to his leg had caught him behind the knee.

Yang instinctively pulled her foot and swept Welkin off his feet. She fired her bracelets against the wall and escaped the potentially dangerous pin. She twisted around and shot a few more shots at Welkin, who rolled away from the rounds. "Damn, you're better than before." She grunted as she switched the ammo type in her Ember Celicas. "How about this?" She fired off a practice overkill round at him, the lightning fast round whizzed forward like a deadly firework.

Welkin stood his ground and swat the shot away with his right hand, grinning all the while. The shot deflected into the wall and Welkin surged forward. Yang landed and shot herself forward, ducking under Welkin's fist like before. That powerful tackle sucked to take, but it potentially boosted her power to overcome Welkin's inherent sturdiness. She threw a mean right hook into his chest, only to feel all momentum stop upon contact. Welkin's aura meter beeped rapidly, showing a rapid depletion of aura.

Taking advantage in her loss of momentum, he viciously head-butted Yang, causing her to stumble. Welkin pressed on further and unleashed a series of quick punches, before finishing with a piston boosted punch. Yang was sent flying backwards toward the wall. "Try harder!" He called out jokingly.

Before she could hit the wall though, she swiftly twisted herself to be parallel to the floor and landed feet first on the wall. Her eyes turned red as she shot herself forward. "Oh _craaaap_." Welkin realized he had made a mistake and tried to dodge under her as she flew by.

But that didn't happen.

Welkin misjudged her trajectory, causing him to duck right into Yang as she landed in front of him. She swung her fist upwards in a brutal, shotgun fused, upper cut, lifting Welkin a few inches into the air, ripping the anchors in his greaves out of the ground. She winded up her right fist again and slammed it into his abdomen as he was coming down from the small air time he got. She brushed off some glowing golden hair and readied herself for more.

Welkin went flying across the arena, landing on his back and rolling before crashing into the wall. He coughed and felt ill from the pair of hits. He could feel a bruise forming despite his aura managing to block the boosted hits. Welkin groaned and pushed himself onto his knees, grinning, "Ugh, that was a mistake." He checked his aura level on the holographic monitors above.

He was losing. Not badly, but it was getting rough. While he had had the advantage when he sent her flying, the counter attack he failed to dodge had done a great deal of damage. Even with absorption at max, he was still hit hard and _launched_. That itself was a feat, given how rock solid he normally is.

"Gonna give up Crasher? Com'on, I'm ready for more." She laugh playfully. Welkin shivered and charged forward. Yang shot herself toward her opponent, smiling from the adrenaline high, and prepared to deliver another powerful slam. However, Welkin skidded to a halt and slammed his feet into the ground, lifting up his right fist.

He smirked as she drew closer and then pulled his fist downward. Some of the absorbed force burst out from him in a shockwave, rattling the room, knocking the students about, and causing Professor Goodwitch to stumble in surprise. However, the burst also threw Yang off balance from her launch, and Welkin took advantage by swinging several times at her.

Yang took a hit or two before she adjusted herself and swept under his swing for the third time. She could see Welkin's shit eating grin, ready to counter her like he did last time. But that was exactly where she wanted him: Welkin could not absorb any more overly powerful hits without losing.

Yang whirled around, avoiding his counter strike, and grinned. She fired off her Ember Celicas and boosted the impact of the surprise shoulder tackle, using his own tactics against him. Welkin, stunned by the sudden impact, felt himself lift off for the second time. He could see HER shit eating grin as she finished him off with a mean left hook that sent him reeling backwards onto his ass.

Welkin, panting from the exertion, looked up at the screen. He had gone under the twenty percent bar and had officially lost. The class burst out cheering for Yang and Professor Goodwitch stepped forward to calm the rowdy class down. Sun and Blake begrudgingly handed Neptune ten lien, who couldn't help but smile cheerfully at his earnings. Welkin rubbed his stomach and gratefully accepted Yang's hand. She pulled him up and pat him on the back, "There, there. You'll win one day."

"Oh please. You know I've won several times before." Welkin glanced at her, unamused as he stretched his arms. "You're still way better. Seriously, you clocked me with thirty-some percent still left in you."

"Dodging is important Welks, and you forget that I get stronger when you hit me." Yang smirked, fixing her blonde hair from the post-fight mess. They turned to Professor Goodwitch.

"Well fought, Miss Xiao Long." Professor Goodwitch gathered the class' attention again, "Now, while Mister Fenrir lost, his use of his semblance is exactly the point I was trying to make." She pulled up a replay video which she had marked with time stamps. "Before we pick another match up, let us review. Starting with this one." She jumped to early on in the fight, when he chose to not use his semblance and took the hit to make space. After a discussion about the video and fight, Goodwitch continued, "I am forwarding my notes and video to the two of you to review in private. Thank you for participating Mister Fenrir. As for the rest of the class, are there any volunteers to go? Or shall I start picking names?'

* * *

After class, Yang and Welkin broke off from the group for a minute to get some energy drinks. Yang was thankful it was her last class, as it meant she could shower off the sweat and grim from her battle. She sat on a wooden bench, enjoying the cool breeze, as Welkin repeatedly pressed a button on the soda machine in annoyance. She turned her head from all the clicking in time to see him punch the infernal machine. A small ding sounded and two bottles of Edgar brand sports drinks dropped down. He tossed her a bottle before he plopped down to her left, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. They tapped bottles and took long drinks.

"I could go for another after this." Welkin leaned back, looking up at the afternoon sky. He was beat, but thankfully the sports drink helped with recovery.

"What? Another fight? Do you want to lose again?" Yang joked and leaned back as well, taking another sip from her bottle. She rested her head on his outstretched right hand.

"Well, I was going to say sports drink, but when you put it like that…" He muttered and looked at the bottle. "Kinda hard to say no." The two sat and continued drinking.

"So…did'ja like what ya' saw last night?" Yang poked his side with a finger. "I _know_ you saw us. So don't lie to me and say you didn't yeah?"

"…You know I'm damned if I say something and I'm damned if I don't, right?" Welkin turned his head to her, unamused by her question. She simply gave him a cheeky grin. "Yes I did like what I saw." He smiled, pulling the memory from storage. Whole lotta skin. _Very nice_.

"What did you like seeing?" Welkin nearly jumped out of his skin from Ruby's sudden appearance and question. His face blushed pink as Yang turned to her younger sister. "Are you two alright?"

"Yep. Taking a quick break. Sorry for splitting from you guys." Yang offered Ruby some of her sports drink. Ruby declined the offer; she had had it before, but it was not nearly sweet enough for her tastes. Even if it did help with after combat cooldown. "Welks was just about to tell me he liked seeing us in-."

"In combat!" Welkin blurted out. Yang stifled a laugh at his attempt to redirect the conversation. "In combat. I rarely see you guys in action, and it's cool to see how you guys fight." Ruby nodded, accepting the answer.

"Oh, thanks! It was awesome seeing you fight again. You were all, KAPOW and WHAM! And you really do like crashing into things... Com'on Yang, let's go clean-up for the afternoon. We still have stuff to read and write for Oobleck's class." Ruby dragged Yang, reluctantly, up from her seat. "OH, and Jaune said you can use JNPR's shower to clean off if you wanted. It's pretty lame walking around in sticky clothes." Welkin's mind flashed for a moment, _sticky clothes_... _annnd image saved._ Yang, who could guess what was on his thoughts, lightly punched him on the shoulder, breaking him out of his imagination.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go Ruby. And Welks?" Welkin stood up and looked at Yang's winning smile, "Good save. _Almost_ got you there."

"Thank the heavens you didn't." The three made their way back to the dorms.

* * *

 _ **Notes:**_ Not much to say here. Thanks for your time!

Songs: ( _ARTIST - SONG - Reason)_

Parov Stelar - Starlight (Club Version)  
Parov Stelar - Ragtime Cat  
Parov Stelar - Monster - I thought it would be cool to pick a different, fast pace song for an action scene. So why not some electro-swing to mix it up a bit? Compared to a raid to stop criminals, fighting in a controlled environment seems more like a deadly dance than anything. Two people moving in time to the rhythm of the fight, as Ozpin would say.


	6. Fragment 01: Weights and Tattoos

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Fragment 01: Weights and Tattoos

* * *

 _The following "fragments" are scenes, moments, or scenarios that didn't quite make it into the story. Thus, I have dedicated this chapter (and subsequent Omake chapters) to throwing these out. They go somewhere in the story, and don't necessarily follow the same timeline as the story._

* * *

"Look man, you could really hurt yourself if you aren't trained properly…" Sun dusted his hands off on his blue basketball shorts. He had discarded his white shirt, because _look at that body_. Currently, Team SSSN, Lie Ren, and Jaune were hitting the on campus gym. They were getting some valuable workout time in, and SSSN in particular had to keep their physique up.

The gym was filled with fairly high end exercise equipment and weight stands. Surprisingly, there was no treadmills, since a student could get a good exercise by quite literally running around the Academy grounds. In one corner was a matted arena for wrestling or boxing practice, and down the hall from them was the locker rooms and an exercise pool worthy of the Remnant Olympics.

"Yeah man, it's called a dead lift for a reason." Neptune joined in, having finished his stretches. He was wearing a pair of red and blue basketball shorts and a simple t shirt. He still had those goggles on. He joined them late as he was studying with Weiss. Or "studying" Weiss. Sun would not let it go that two people could hang out without getting into each other's pants.

"Oh it'll be fine! Not like we really have to worry about permanent injuries, right?" Jaune chuckled nervously. He was in a white shirt with yellow shorts, and while he was toned…well, he wasn't Sun.

Actually, he was more like Neptune physically. But that was beside the point.

"Look man, we'll get you started on some lighter stuff. We don't want you straining your back." Sun put a hand on his shoulder as Neptune moved to get some lighter weights. They, or at least Sun and Sage, were lifting seriously. "And we don't want Pyrrha breaking us for getting you hurt. She trashed us last time in the arena…"

"Right. Alright." Sun taught him the basics as they set up the bar, such as stance, grip, and how to lift properly. Jaune nodded along as he positioned himself at the bar, bending over to grip it tightly. "Now just like I explained man." Jaune lowered himself carefully and pulled, barely moving the heavy bell. He struggled for a few more seconds before he let go; the weighted bar landed lightly, having only moved an inch or so off the ground. He bent over onto his knees and panted.

"Oh ho, what're you all doin' here?" Jaune looked up to see the blonde bombshell and her team of troublemakers—sorry, _problem solvers_ , walking over. They were all dressed for the gym as well, despite only Yang really being the one that did weights. Blake and Ruby went off to do their own thing, although they looked rather reluctant to be there.

"Sun and the others offered to help Jaune…lift more." Ren explained as he hung the bar he had been benching back onto the rack. He sat up and pulled a drink from his pink water bottle.

"Yeah, I mean, friends gotta watch out for each other…" Sun beamed.

"Aww that's nice of you two." Yang grinned and put a hand on her waist.

"Because I ain't lettin' myself get seen with scrawny dudes!" He finished, laughing loudly as he flexed his muscles to show off his physique. The monkey fauns was proud of just how _cut_ he was. Like, seriously. They could grate Swiss fucking cheese on _this_!

"And like that, the magic is gone." Weiss scoffed. Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he bent over to give the deadlift another try. "Say, Neptune, would you mind showing me some of the lighter weight exercises?"

"Gladly, Snow Angel. Com'on." He smiled brightly and moved away from the group, leading Weiss to the dumbbell racks. Jaune struggled to lift up the bar again. The group could practically hear his bones and joints creak from the stress, and he released the bar, sighing in disappointment.

"Here ladykiller, your form is still a little messed up. Watch." Yang lightly pushed the man aside. "You have to bend your knees a certain way and keep your back strong." Yang bent over and grabbed onto the heavy bar. With practiced ease, Yang lifted the bar up and lowered in to begin her set. "You want to…" Yang grunted and continued to deadlift the bar, "make sure you have your form right." She dropped the heavy bar with a loud CLANG and dusted her hands off.

"Uh…you guys make it seem really easy…" Jaune rubbed the back of his head. Sun pat his shoulder.

"Yo dude, don't worry. Me and Neptune will train you. You'll be lookin' so cut, all the ladies will be like, 'what happened?!' We got this." Sun gave him a knowing grin, "And then maybe you could show off everything you learned to a certain Spartan…"

Jaune looked at the resident Monkey King. "Alright. Teach me your ways." While he (and his body) would regret this decision, working out with the resident fitness nuts would certainly change him for the better.

* * *

"Hey Welkin?" Welkin looked up from the cook book he was reading. Ruby joined him by the counter. Team RWBY had been out and about in town buying supplies, but split up to take care of their own business. Weiss was meeting someone in town apparently, as was Blake. Since they had nothing to do, Yang and Ruby decided to crash at Welkin's apartment. Yang lounged on the couch watching the evening news, while the other two stood by the counter in his apartment kitchen. They just had some pizza and were making some chocolate chip cookies. They were competing to see who made the better cookies, with Ruby as the natural judge.

"Sup?" He cast half a gaze back at the book before looking back at the younger sister.

"Mind if I ask you a question?"

"You mean another one?" He smirked at her, causing Ruby to roll her eyes, "I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'. What's on your mind?"

"How come you seem to always be wearing your gauntlets? I can't say I've ever seen you without your gauntlets." Welkin looked at his armored hands, thinking of a good answer.

"Uh…I'm just kinda used to it? I guess?" Welkin examined his hand gauntlets and closed his right hand into a fist. "Think of it like a second skin."

"So…you're not hiding anything under that right? That's a real hand?" Ruby tilted her head curiously.

Welkin frowned, "You've seen my hands before though." He worked the locks and straps on the heavy striking gauntlets. Welkin pulled the gauntlets off and flexed his fingers, "See? All flesh and bones."

"Oooh." Ruby leaned in and looked at his left arm. Welkin had a set of tattoos that ran the length of his left arm. The dark lines snaked around his arms and stretched lengthwise. Subtle lighter lines highlighted the elaborate tribal pattern, giving it contrast. On the top of his forearm was sword bayonet with several amaranth flowers on the blade. He rotated it over to show Ruby the under arm, which had the numbers 08-15-23413 stamped on prominently. The numbers, and box, were starting to fade. The tribal pattern turns out wrapped around his arm, but they weaved around the box with the numbers. Finishing the tattoo off was a winding snake that ate its own tail. It wrapped around his bicep as if it was perpetually chasing itself. "What does it all mean?"

Yang looked over from the television, "Showing off your gang tats again Crasher? Trying to be a bad influence on kids?" Yang grinned cheekily.

"Hey! I'm not a kid! I drink milk!" Ruby pouted at her sister. Welkin found himself patting her on the head, the instincts from being an older brother himself kicking in. "Uh…Welks?"

"Huh? Oh. Sorry. You just remind me of my little sisters." Welkin flushed red and scratched the back of his head. "And…well, there's a story for most of these actually."

"Half of them are bullshit." Yang shot out as she flicked off the television and switched on the music player. Yang found Welkin's blues playlist and turned that on.

Welkin shot her a glare, "Hey, it's not _false_. There's just _artistic liberties_ when I tell them. Anyways…" He looked back at Ruby, "I'll start with the oldest one."

Ruby took a seat at the counter as Welkin turned his hand to show her the numbers. "This was my prison number while I was at juvie and jail. One of my cellmates told me a story of how everyone who's had their number tattooed to them seem to be blessed with good luck." Ruby gave him a flat look of disbelief. "Look, I know. Believe me, I'm the unlucky one here."

"Huh….didn't know that actually." Yang walked around the counter to Welkin's side and looked into the oven with the cookies she had made inside.

"So it's good luck? Did it work?"

"Pfft, no. I got by because I met some good people in a bad situation. I know the media likes to portray everyone in jail or juvie like delinquents or terrible criminals…but there's just some people screwed by the system. Lotta the guys there are just tryin' to get by, you know."

Ruby thought about that for a moment, "So then why are they there?"

Welkin shrugged. "I wish I had an answer for you. Bad luck? Bad choices? Desperation? There could be any answer. One of the kindest men I've ever met, like really, salt of the earth that guy, was in because he was arrested for armed robbery." Welkin held up his hand to stop Ruby from making an assumption. "He was a faunus, and his family was starving because opportunities were never given to them."

"Oh…" Ruby paused. She was going to judge him as an average criminal and call it a day, but put in that perspective…

"Good and bad aren't always too clear. Remember that alright?" Welkin pat her head again reassuringly. "Sorry. My sisters are absolutely tiny, and you really remind me of them."

"Are you calling me short?" Ruby shot him a glare.

"There won't be cookies if you kill me." Welkin smiled broadly back at her.

"Curses!" Ruby frowned at the big courier. "So…what about the rest of the tattoos?"

"Well…this bayonet with the flowers? I got that when I got out. It's part of my family's sigil. The actual thing is a pair of crossed bayonets, with amaranths at the middle where the blades meet. All on top of a heater shield." Welkin offered his arm over for Ruby to poke at. "Even though I had all this stuff lined up after jail, well…it's hard wrestling with the fact you're free. It's hard to figure out…well, who you were."

"Ah, I get it. So you got this to remind you of who you were before jail?"

Welkin nodded, smiling faintly, "Smart. Yes. I wanted a reminder that my family is full of good people. Especially my mother's side. They were heroes. Hunters and huntresses doing their part for the world. I wanted to remember that…as cheesy as it is, to remember that I could be more than an ex-convict."

"You mean you just like the design." Yang poked his side, causing him to recoil slightly away. "Oooh, did I find something I shouldn't have?" She gave him her best Cheshire grin.

"NOPE! Moving on!" Welkin pointed to the tribal style tattoo. "I got this…because…it looks cool." Ruby burst out in laughter. "Look, I normally have a cool story about how I was kidnapped by natives on a delivery, and they initiated me into their tribe and everything…but I forgot it all." Ruby laughed harder, "Hey, you wear a combat skirt because it looks cool!" Ruby stifled her laughter a bit at that.

"I thought you said there was a good story for most of these! Bahahaha!" Ruby's contagious laughter spread to Yang, who was laughing into her fist.

"It's good enough for me. Besides… _it looks cool_!" Welkin pointed to the crazy, intricate design on his arm. "Okay, seriously though. Last one: the Ouroboros."

"It looks like Taijitsu trying to eat itself." Ruby tilted her head left and right to get a look around the arm.

Welkin hummed, "Yep. It represents immortality. Or at least, unending. I got it because of my luck when it comes to getting hurt badly and coming out on top."

"Oh no, you got a tattoo about it? Now you've jinxed it." Yang threw her arms in the air in mock annoyance. "Way to ruin a streak, Crasher."

"Hey! The streak still holds! I am _indomitable!_ " He belted with gusto before performing some exaggerated bodybuilder flexes. "Gaze upon this supreme physique in awe."

"Pfft, right. You don't look anything like one of those ancient statues of 'perfect'." Yang scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. Ruby was busy laughing at his corny antics to respond.

"Oh baby, but I'm better than those. A lot more fleshed out…in more ways than one." Welkin waggled his eyebrows at Yang, who put a hand on his face and pushed him back.

Yang kept a massive grin on her face, "Yeah, right. Save that for later. Ruby's here." Welkin nodded, with an eyebrow still raised and a stupid smirk on his face.

"What? I thought that was a bad joke…fleshed out? Compared to a statue? No?" Welkin shook his head with a very highly raised eyebrow. "Just me then…"

Yang and Welkin laughed some more, much to the poor leader's misfortune, when they were interrupted by a loud DING from an alarm.

"Oh! Cookies are done! Welkin, why don't you get the cooling rack and stuff out. Ruby, can you get the milk? These are going to be _the best_." Yang clapped her hands together in excitement. "I totally, totally can't wait for you to compare the two." Ruby hurried off in a rose petal blur to arrange the dining table and put out the milk. Yang pulled out the _very_ hot baking trays and set them on the stove top. With expert ease, she casually flipped cookies with a spatula onto the cooling rack Welkin had brought out.

After a few minutes of cooling, the three dug into their sweet treats. "Hmm…" Ruby thought carefully as she munched happily on the chocolate chip cookie. After a drink of milk, she picked up one from the other pile and took a bite, before shoving the whole thing in her mouth. "Hmmmmm….."

"Well?" Welkin leaned on his elbows as he dipped his cookie in milk.

"Hmmmm….Yang's are better."

Welkin swallowed the bite he had taken, before shouting and pointing at Yang, "Bias!" Yang laughed and pumped her fist in victory, "Yes!"

"Hmm…it's just kinda hard to compare. Your cookies are bigger, softer, and more cakelike. They're also a little sweeter since you aren't using dark chocolate chips, and I think you used a little more sugar. Yangs are more like small biscuits. Harder, crunchier, and has a great texture for chomping on! Sooo, I have to go with Yangs!"

"Told you Welks. Don't get in a cooking competition with me when it comes to Ruby. You'll _never_ come out on top. Not when she's grown up on my cooking!"

"You mean your take out." She grumbled.

"What was that?" Yang looked over, too busy gloating to have heard what Ruby said.

"I said it's good!" Ruby smiled innocently at the blonde bombshell.

Yang wrapped an arm around Ruby. "I'll tell you. I know my little sis' tastes better than even she does. Probably."

"I'm sure…" Welkin sighed in defeat, before smiling. "But these are awesome cookies. Good thing we made…uh…a lot…" They looked around the small kitchen. The countertop they were standing at had three plates stacked high with cookies of various shapes and sizes.

"Plenty to go around. Let's pack it up for tonight then huh?" Yang asked as she stood up. Ruby finished off her tall glass of milk. After a few minutes of packing and stuff, Welkin showed them out the door.

"You guys stay safe alright? Call me next time you're around town, and I'll see if I'm off like today. We should do a barbeque or something. This place has a nice rooftop terrace that we can totally use for a party or something."

"Sounds good! I'll let the others know and we'll see if we can arrange something!" Yang grinned.

"Thanks for having us over Welkin! And for the cookies! You might not have won, but you _totally_ get second place!" Welkin scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

"Yeah, well. I can probably beat her at other foods. I'll get you one day!" He narrowed his eyes and shook his fist menacingly as Yang turned to leave. "One day!"

"Goodbye Welkin!" The two sisters giggled as they left the courier to his own devices. A rooftop barbeque certainly didn't sound bad. Especially since the weather looked like it was doing better.

* * *

 **Notes:**

Welcome to the first of a few "shorter" chapters I'm going to call Fragments. I'm not sure where these came from honestly, but I can say that they're definitely things I _wanted_ to turn into full fledged chapters, but either lost the drive or it was too short. There's quite a few of these, as sometimes I'm just kind of stumped as to where to go and just feel like writing some kind of situation. Much like the interludes from _Thirteen_ , I think these are going to break up every few chapters.

If you haven't noticed, I'm also updated previous chapters to include songs or something i was listening to while writing. It's weird to say, but I feel like writing with music gives me kind of a rhythm to work with. The titles will go into the Notes section, and obviously, I don't own these songs. Just something to listen to while I write, and they probably influence what I've written. (Especially action scenes.)

 _Songs: (ARTIST - SONG)_

Walk the Moon - Work this Body  
Walk the Moon - Different Colors  
Walk the Moon - Tightrope


	7. Memory 05: Shotgun, Damn It!

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 05: Shotgun, Damn It!

* * *

Danger was in the job description. It wasn't something Welkin was unfamiliar with, and he was pretty certain he's had more close calls than most couriers would like to brag about. Hauling packages from one part of the world to the ass end of it always provided its own set of danger: robbers, weather, _Grimm_. So when he accepted a job to take a package from Beacon (given to him by Professor Goodwitch), he was pretty much expecting to be ambushed at some point. He had to take two things: a relatively small, metal case, and a second somewhat larger box. His destination? Almost, quite literally, nowhere. He was genuinely having trouble with finding it, but thankfully he was able to catch Professor Goodwitch and ask her where it was properly.

He pulled up slowly to the village ahead, pulling up his goggles up as he stopped at the inn. Or saloon actually, it was certainly stylized as one. Welkin pushed himself off the bike and took the keys out, taking a step into the dingy saloon. The rather warm, musky, and alcohol filled air was only somewhat welcoming to him, as the drive into the town had been rather chilly. He looked around and walked over to the bartender, who was serving other patrons.

"Hey, I'm lookin' for someone in purple?" Welkin leaned on the countertop, showing the bartender the delivery form on his company's work scroll. Of course there wouldn't be a name. That would make his job easy. "I've got some packages for them." The bartender looked up and nodded. He gestured for him to follow up a set of stairs.

The man led him down the hall to a room at the end. The bartender nodded to him and went back downstairs. Welkin watched him go. He'd dealt with things like this before, but Professor Goodwitch wouldn't just send him into the jaws of the enemy would she?

"Actually," Welkin muttered as he raised his fist to knock, "She probably would." He knocked on the door. The door creaked open and Welkin looked into the dark room. The moonlight had been covered up by curtains, and it was pitch black inside. He leaned in slightly, "Excuse me, courier here."

"Get in here." Welkin heard a familiar voice say. He shook his head in disbelief, there simply was no way. He stepped in quietly and closed the door behind him. Shrouded by the darkness, Chris sat on the bed. His sniper friend from Signal, Erin, was against the wall next to the window, peering out with a detached sniper scope.

"Goodwitch is pulling my goddamn leg. Rather, yours, considering last I saw of you, that was kind of missing." Welkin crossed his arms and frowned at his old friend, "Chris."

"Welkin." He rose and Welkin could make out the bulky prosthetic leg he had. He had ditched the generic military outfit and went with a greyscale scheme. He wore a light black and white flannel jacket on top of a sleek grey chest plate. Chris wore an asymmetrical pair of pants, as his right leg had been turned into a cybernetic prosthetic. The robotic leg had been painted black with white highlights, and it looked similar to Atlas technology. He could make out a harness that wrapped around his body, all attached to a grappling hook and rope that hung by his side. Against the bed frame, he could make out a sleek energy rifle that practically screamed Atlas tech. "Been a while."

"I don't know if I should even give you the time of day, given all the shit I've had to deal with because of _you_." Welkin growled and walked over to the small table close to the window. Erin turned and looked at Welkin. He sighed and smiled softly at Erin; he had always had a soft spot for the ex-librarian. She wore an adorable lilac combat skirt, with matching knee boots. The thing that made her look less like a fashionista and more like a fighter was the darker magenta combat rigging she wore on top. The dark straps were secured on tight, emphasizing her generous figure, and carrying pouches of 14.5 millimeter cartridge magazines. Her _massive_ sniper rifle leaned against the window, and she toyed with the scope in her hand idly.

He could see her hands fidgeting with her scope, a nervous tick of hers that she always failed to suppress. Welkin nodded and dug into his courier bag, pulling both out boxes for them. "Got tired of being a librarian I see. Here. From Professor Goodwitch, though god knows why."

"It'd take too long to explain." Welkin rolled his eyes at the generic, non-committal answer. "I-." Welkin raised a hand to stop him.

"Just save it. I'd rather you _stop_ bullshitting me with cheap excuses like 'I thought I was doing the right thing.' That's all ass and you know it." Chris sat back on the bed, silent.

"We're working for Ozpin now." He began. Welkin raised his arms in mock surprise, rolling his eyes for emphasis.

"Of course. I couldn't have guessed."

"It's just…look, I _genuinely_ don't know how much to tell you." Welkin walked over to Chris, and Erin grabbed his arm to stop him from doing anything rash. He pulled himself free after shooting her a brief glare. Chris looked down, expecting to get slugged in the face. Welkin had a thing for forgiving people _after_ hitting them after all. He stopped in front and knelt down to eye level, steel blue eyes meeting hazelnut. Chris stared back reluctantly, unsure of what his friend was up to.

"Why were you brewing that junk in the gym?" Welkin demanded, his voice hard as stone.

"I needed the money. Things were getting desperate." Chris braced himself for impact, his aura flaring up immediately.

With a mighty _WHAM_ , Welkin buffeted him on the side of the head HARD. It _sucked_ and he started seeing birds and stars above him. "I said it fifty times before, and I will say it again. I would have helped you without question. You just need to _talk_ to me."

"It's not that simple…" Chris began and Welkin picked him up by the collar. Erin moved to stop him from hurting Chris further, but a quick angry look got her to quickly back down. This was between the two of them. "…I just couldn't look my friends in the eyes and tell them I needed help." He looked at him sadly, "You know I was always trying to be self-sufficient."

"I do know, and I think you're still stupid to try and do that." He shook Chris hard, rattling his bones around before dropping him back on the bed. "You cost me several years of freedom, and _almost my entire arm_!"

"What?" Chris looked at him in surprise, leaning back to look at the still (thankfully) flesh arm.

"Yeah. Yang almost broke it off when we fought. Snapped out of it thankfully. At least that was _until you pulled the same damn trick and dumped those drugs on us_. Don't think Yang and I have forgotten about the goddamn chemical plant. She's waiting to get a crack at you too."

"Yeah…that stunt was stupid. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have lost everything because of my actions. I thought I was not causing harm to anyone but myself…well, I'm clearly wrong." Chris admitted. He didn't think he would get caught in the blast at the chemical plant. It was a carefully set up explosive. While his semblance let him quickly 'blink' away to other locations, he unfortunately mistimed it that night. Instead of teleporting him away safely, he was caught in the blast and had his leg blown off for being too close to the bomb. The blast cauterized the wound, though it was rather morbid to be thankful about that. Still, he almost bled to death, were it not for a few paramedic hunters that were dispatched to the explosion.

Welkin crossed his arms. "I paid for it with my blood. And I expect to get repaid someday. In for a penny, in for a pound, isn't that right? I hope you learned your lesson."

"Yeah…" Chris smirked weakly, "Don't stand so close to bombs. They go boom."

"HAH!" Welkin laughed out loud and shook his head. The tension in the air lightened. "Goddamn, way to take the edge off things. And here I thought I was going to have to joke that on top of bombs was a bad place to practice ballroom dancing." He smacked his friend's shoulder hard. "I ain't gonna forgive you so easily for what you've done, but…"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you aren't dead. We still have a lot more to talk about later, and…we'll see where we go from here." Welkin sat down across from him and Erin grabbed a cold compress from her aid bag. She handed it over to Chris, who was still a little stunned from the smack. "We're not done with the other conversation though. So tell me more. About why the hell you're out in bum-fudge nowhere. Why you decided to drop Exodus and Torchwick. You know, stuff."

"I can answer that, kid." A scraggly looking man opened the door and closed it behind him. He reeked of booze and wobbled, "By the way, that has to be the second time I've been _defeated_."

Welkin and the others raised an eyebrow at the new comer, "Oh don't tell me you didn't see the _length_ of that innkeepers skirt." Qrow turned on the lamp near the door. He looked around, especially at the two guys, "No? Seriously? You guys need to pay attention to details. Especially you _guys_. I'm almost certain that was less a skirt and more a cloth belt." He pulled out a flask of whiskey and took a quick drink, before looking at and addressing Welkin, "You're sixteen or some bullshit right? And naw, not age sixteen. Yer way too big."

"Thirteen. Yeah. I think we've—oh shit." He paused in realization as to _who_ it was. His previous question about their actions died instantly.

"Yeah, yeah Thirteen. That's the number." He slurred before looking at the courier in the face, "Oh shit, it's Welksy." Qrow Branwen smiled lazily at Welkin, "It's been ages." He walked over and put an arm around Welkin's shoulder, getting him into a light chokehold, " _You haven't done anything with Yang have you?_ " Welkin could feel the panic levels growing. It was uncle _fudging_ (as Ruby would correct him) Qrow, the master of interrupting moments and the best damned hunter for miles.

"N-no sir!" Welkin looked at the man, trying to maintain a rather weak poker face. "I'm here on a job from Goodwitch. She sent me with some stuff."

He eased on the hold and grinned, "Ah, Glynda. Good. Got the things I asked for I take it." Welkin gestured to the two packages on the table, "Cool. And Welksy?" Welkin looked up after taking a deep breath, "Remember. Hurt Yang, a _nd I will make sure she breaks you_." He nodded furiously.

"Uh…Prof—err, Mister, uh…." Erin began before Qrow rolled his eyes and turned to the sniper, "Qrow. You know Welkin?"

"You two didn't know? Me and Welksy go waaay back. Last time we spoke though, he could barely keep his hormones in check." Qrow joked and tore open the packaging on the brown bag, pulling open the lid. His face lit up at the sight inside, "Niiiice. Hey kid, for you." Chris looked up and caught the small packet of portable tools. Chris nodded and brought his leg up to a spare chair, starting to unscrew the thigh plate for maintenance. Qrow pulled out a bottle and refilled his flask with it, smiling gleefully. Erin peered into the box and pulled out a three legged weapon stand and backed away. She hit the release and it extended into a portable tripod.

"Hormones in check?" Erin asked innocently, but knew all too well where this was going. She had heard stories of Qrow's impeccable timing, mostly from Chris when she was bored and pestered him for stories. She slid open the window and let in some more light, before mounting the Istiglal sniper rifle onto it.

"Welksy here had trouble keeping it to himself with Yang around." He paused and looked at Welkin, who was blushing brighter than his hair, "Sorry, I meant to say, he _still_ can't keep it to himself."

"Ooh, any good stories?" She smiled cheekily. She was a glutton for embarrassing stories.

"Maybe another time kid." Erin visibly deflated and pouted at the older man. "We got what we needed though. He opened up the metal case and pulled out a small black brick with softly pulsing lights.

"What's that Qrow?" Erin leaned over to look at the brick. He dropped it into her gloved hands and went back to digging into the bigger package. He withdrew a small chip and inserted it into his scroll.

"A fun little toy that Oz's people have been workin' on. I'm pretty sure you're all familiar with those old blocky Faustus Boxes." Welkin's gaze on the drunk uncle narrowed at the mention of those _things_.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be messing with that stuff." Welkin crossed his arms and leaned back against the dresser that stood next to the chair he had been sitting on earlier. "Stuff like that isn't meant to be in our hands you know."

"Oh, don't be like that Welksy. This ain't the same. This doesn't affect weapons or stuff, just buildings and power. You wouldn't believe how useful it could be when not applied to you know, destroying a city." Qrow waved his hand dismissively.

"I thought they never finished it. Something about it causing too much damage?" She remarked and handed the device back to Qrow, who slid it neatly into a pouch.

Qrow ruffled her neatly combed lavender and white hair, "Yer right kid. But that's only what we've cleared you two to know. We built one and if Goodwitch has sent it to us…well then it's probably serious." Welkin absorbed the information and stored it for later. Qrow turned his head slightly, "Hey kid, stop imagining my niece's tits. We've got work to do."

"What?" Welkin snapped out of his thoughts, he hadn't been thinking of anything like that. Until it was mentioned. Damnit. "Why am I a part of this?"

"Well, you aren't a part o' Ozzy's crew. So they won't recognize you. They'd recognize legless over there and little miss lilac's helpless in a melee." Qrow pointed to the other two agents in the room. Erin puffed her cheeks in indignation before going back to packing up the sniper rifle. "So, you're in. Looks like you get to be bait."

"You're kidding." Welkin started as Qrow already began dragging his sorry ass out the door. "You're not kidding."

* * *

Welkin thought the plan could have been a little better. Well, more like a lot better. When he showed up outside the base with a fake package delivery (a box full of cookies to Private Griffith or some such), he was immediately taken down by White Fang guards. After a brief explanation, they quickly carted him into the base with his hands behind his head.

The plan was simple at least: improvise while Qrow did something and the others waited to ambush. "This the shithead that decided to waltz up to our front door?" He turned to see an absolutely mountain of a Faunus walking toward him. The man made Welkin look average in just about every way, and he could see a kickass looking pair of gladiuses on his waist.

"Yeah he's the one boss. Said he had something for Private Griffith. From his mom or some bullshit." One of the guards held up the box in question.

"Fuck. Private Griffith? Where is the idiot?" The huge, probably lieutenant, asked and looked around at the other members of White Fang.

"Probably sleeping on duty as usual." The guard from before muttered and pulled out a radio, "Hey, someone send that lazy ass Griffith up here."

"How the fuck did you find the base?" The lieutenant glared at Welkin, who shrugged.

"Couriers find their way to their marks, all the time."

"Bullshit. Don't fuck with me and answer the question before I get annoyed."

"I'm serious. I just had to look for the seediest, shadiest, looking place in this part of the woods, and there we go." Welkin explained, keeping a straight gaze with the lieutenant. A slightly overweight private appeared, huffing from having run across the base.

"H-hold on a second, hoo, oh man I haven't ran that much in ages." Griffith huffed and took a breather. "What's going on LT?"

"You goddamn twit, did you order some shit?" He shoved the box into Griffith's hands.

Griffith stared at it in surprise, "Uh, no? Does it look like I want to even _bother_ with paper work and requisitions?" He opened it and pulled out a pack of chocolatey mint cookies, "Oh shit, thin mints! Awesome."

"Yer mom sent them to you apparently." Griffith paused from cramming several thin mints into his mouth. He looked at the others in the group.

"Uh, guys, I don't _have_ a mom. She died when I was a kid. Com'on, I told you guys this before when I signed up." The other guards glared at Welkin, who smiled innocently. He took a step back before the huge lieutenant grabbed him by the throat.

"Start talking wiseass, how did you find this base?" The lieutenant growled, bringing his bear like strength to action. "Who the hell are you?"

Welkin struggled as the big man squeezed his throat, starting to strangle. He pulled on the massive man's grip, trying to loosen it. "I told you how I found the place. And I'm a courier."

"Yeah that's bullshit. You're up to something aren't you? Spill it before I spill your guts." He pulled out a gladius with his free hand and jabbed it against the courier's abdomen plate.

Welkin thought quickly, his mind racing a mile a minute trying to bullshit an excuse. At least, until he heard Qrow's voice over the small ear piece he had been lent, "Ready to go kid." He thought for a minute, trying to think of a way to get Chris' attention without exposing where he was. Erin was fairly far away, up on some ledge providing over watch. Chris was hiding somewhere in the base. Probably in the same room somewhere. He thought quickly, trying to think of something he could use.

Then it hit him. "Shotgun!" He yelled out.

"What?" The lieutenant raised an eyebrow at him.

"Shotgun!" He yelled again, looking around the room.

"What the hell are you on kid?" He jabbed the gladius deeper, the point lightly penetrating the armor. He could feel the heat being fueled into the gladius, and Welkin guessed he could probably melt through his armor like butter with his sword.

"I said shotgun, damn it!" He panicked, struggling slightly in the man's grip.

"Oh. Shotgun. I forgot about that." Chris said from the darkness. The other guards looked at the new voice and the entire building burst into action.

A 14.5mm round immediately ended the life of one of the white fang sergeants. The power flickered for a second before everything shut down.

The lieutenant thought to squeeze Welkin's neck and snap it before he felt a piston boosted fist impact with his chest and launch him away, Welkin's neck still in his firm grip. In the dark, energy bolts from a laser rifle burned through the air and nailed several men with trained precision. Chris double tapped the men and turned to see Welkin and the Lieutenant fly by, screaming.

Welkin lifted his gauntlet and piston punched the lieutenant's elbow, breaking it with a sickening _SNAP_. He let go and Welkin immediately kicked him square in the solar plexus. The lieutenant felt the wind get knocked out of him and started wheezing in surprise, clutching his broken arm. He growled in anger and charged relentlessly, ignoring the searing pain from his arm and empty lungs.

Chris put two shots into his chest, dropping the man like a sack of potatoes. He looked around at the other White Fang soldiers, who had gotten their weapons out and surrounded the two. He stood back to back with Welkin, "Hey, uh, sorry. I forgot about Shotgun."

"No shit." Welkin rubbed his red neck before he raised his fists again, "Last we used it was at Signal. But I panicked." Welkin gathered his breath from being choked as the base back up generators kicked on and illuminated them in a red glow from the many emergency lights.

"Right…So we doin' this or what?" He changed the energy cell in the rifle and raised it. Welkin slammed his fists together, the pistons hissing and clicking into action. He grinned maliciously, causing whatever members of White Fang that haven't run to back up slightly in fear.

* * *

Next morning at the inn room, Welkin and Chris were sharing a laugh over the chaos they had wrought while running merry hell all over the base. The only order from Qrow was to distract everyone on the base, and since he didn't quite say _how_ …

"Dude, you should have _seen_ the look on that guy when his mate got punched _into_ the breakroom." Chris laughed and slapped his metal leg. "He was like, uhhh?" He made a face mimicking the poor surprised mook that had gotten smoked by them.

"Oh that was nothing. I'm pretty sure that guy you left hanging by the pants on the ceiling was the best part. When we ran back into that room, and like, a buncha dudes were just staring up and wondering how they'd get him down. Pretty sure he fell down because his pants tore."

"You guys were really mean back there." Erin sighed and reloaded an empty magazine, pushing round after round into the magazine. She had been given the job of telling them where reinforcements were coming from, but her job was mostly moot when all they did was run around kicking in doors and smashing things without a plan. "Also what would Qrow say about messing around during a mission?"

At that moment, Qrow chose to join them in the inn room, carrying a plate of bacon and eggs. He looked jovial this morning, but then again, he spent the night in some other room for whatever reason. Probably the innkeeper. "I'm fine with it. You guys did what I asked you to, and we got the intel we need." He held up a solid state drive he had _procured_ while they were causing chaos. "Welksy I got a new job for you." He handed the drive over, "Be a good boy and take it back to Oz, yeah?" Welkin sighed and took the drive.

"Man, I don't even know if I get overtime for this." Welkin muttered and Qrow pushed him gently to the door. Qrow stuffed a slice of bacon into the courier's mouth. "Yo, when you two are in town, hit me up via Ramirez. There's a lot to talk about." Chris and Erin waved, watching as he went on his way.

Qrow waited for the distinct sound of a motorcycle roaring away. "Well that was a fun little raid wasn't it? Now, 'fore we get on with the after action nonsense…lil' miss lilac, you wonderin' about any stories about Welkin right? Weeellll have I got one for you!"

Welkin sneezed while driving toward Vale. Damn weather.

* * *

 _Article Entry: Christopher Schwarz (Previous Schultz) – An Updated Profile_

 ** _Name_** _: Christopher Schwarz/Schultz, Also recognized as The Comet_

 ** _Age_** _: 19_ _ **Race and Sex**_ _: Human Male_

 ** _Hair Color_** _: Jet Black_ _ **Eye Color**_ _: Hazelnut_ _ **Complexion**_ _: Light Caucasian_

 ** _Height_** _: Five Feet Six Inches._ _ **Weight**_ _: 126 Pounds_

 ** _Aura_** _: Grey_ _ **Semblance**_ _: Blink/Short Range Teleport_

 _ **Outfit:** Black, White, Grey __**Weapon**_ _: Challenger Mk1 Energy Rifle_

 ** _Accessories_** _: Prosthetic Leg_

 ** _Theme_** _: Cobra by Dance with the Dead_

 ** _Brief Bio_** _:_

 _The only son in his family, Chris grew up in the middle income zone of Vale. His parents were technicians and extremely adapt at working with machinery, and as a result Chris grew up working with technology. Unfortunately, Chris grew up without his parents, as they were often too busy to take care of him properly. During grammar school and a little into Signal Academy, he ended up mixing with the wrong crowd. Thankfully, he managed to break off from that after realizing how self-destructive that crowd was. Chris learned to take care of himself, and at Signal only really worked with a handful of people._

 _During Signal however, he found himself in dire financial straights. He found himself in debt after his parents cut him off from money to persuade him to come home. He turned to drug production, which ultimately led to the Signal Incident._

 _After fleeing Signal, Chris joined up with a mercenary company, using the combat skills he learned at Signal as a gun for hire. He worked closely with Junior, who served as the primary connection for the company. Chris later decided to join Exodus, who were responsible for the Vale Crisis. After the crisis, he and Erin were taken in as agents for Headmaster Ozpin, sparing them from jail (and possibly execution)._

 ** _Aura and Semblance_** _:_

 _Chris' semblance is a quick, short range teleport. He uses a bit of his aura to quickly relocate around the area. Despite what it may_ seem _, the blink actually is him moving at a very, very fast speed. This makes him look like a blur on the field, hence the nickname Comet. Chris uses his semblance very actively, as he can exploit weakpoints and hit hard and fast where necessary. He can also use this to traverse many areas, as he can essentially "hopscotch" to unreachable areas. He cannot phase through objects while blinking._

 ** _Combat Style_** _:_

 _Chris prefers ranged engagements, as he's a very good shot. His mercenary training has enforced the idea of double tapping enemies and making space to engage at will. He's good at using his blink to disengage or reposition. Chris doesn't take uncalculated risks in combat, and prefers to be much more methodical and tactical._

 _That being said, he isn't a slouch in close quarters either. His energy rifle transforms into a long sword as well. Chris' swordsman ship style is very efficient, as he rarely uses fancy spinning swings or whirling pirouettes outside of using the momentum from them for a finisher. He prefers two handing the sword, to give him more control and power over his swings. Chris doesn't really block swings when he parries. Rather, he deflects them away with his blade to make openings. Clashing blades to him is a waste of energy and effort, and can do more damage to a sword than it is worth._

 ** _Equipment_** _:_

 _Challenger Mk1 Energy Rifle_ _\- An Altesian made energy rifle that's specially built to take dust loaded magazines. The Challenger fires high power bolts, but has a fairly low rate of fire and is fairly energy inefficient. The bolts aren't armor piercing, but carry sufficient concussive force to knock people down in one or two shots. Chris can attach a red dot sight to it. The rifle had it's energy selector removed, as Chris prefers only the highest setting anyway, and it added unnecessary weight. There is also a rail on the handguard to attach a grenade launcher, but putting something there obstructs its ability to turn into a sword._

 _The alternate mode for the rifle transforms it into a long sword. Due to the elegant, streamlined design of the rifle, the sword itself is built into the length of the sword and is well hidden when not active. The blade is solid steel with silver plating, and Erin had hand etched an elegant vine design onto it. When unfolded, the rest of the rifle adjusts around the blade, such as most of the firing mechanism and barrel covering the back edge and the trigger moving onto a cross guard/knuckle protector._

* * *

 **Notes:**

So this is the time where I start bringing back some OCs. I need to try and give them some more screen time, but I know I have a bad habit of having them appear only to kinda...disappear. I didn't really like how the others I introduced came out in the end. It really did feel a little rushed and a little rough. I'm going to try and remedy that so I can have fleshed out characters that are, well, relatively likable and interesting. Let's see if I can accomplish that, eh?

Also Chris' melee style is pretty much like a Witcher from the Witcher series. Always was a fan of how elegant Geralt could chop up enemies.

Thanks for your time as always!

Songs ( _Artist - Song - Reason)_

Cowboy Bebop OST - Waltz for Zizi  
Cowboy Bebop OST - Autumn in Ganymede  
Payday 2 OST - Calling All Units  
Cowboy Bebop OST - Cat Blues


	8. Memory 06: Ice Cream and Dice

_**Tomorrow, Tomorrow**_

Memory 06: Ice Cream and Dice

* * *

Welkin stood at the cash register, leaning against the counter and tapping his wallet against it idly. Team RWBY, and to his wallet's dismay, Team JNPR and half of Team SSSN, were leaning over looking through the glass at the many, _many_ , varieties of ice cream available. He was making good on his promise, and was treating them to a round at an old fashion ice cream parlor he frequented. The others were bickering about the values of different flavors as he leaned back, humming to himself.

He had found the group in the library, wasting away on a Saturday morning. So he figured he'd treat them out to ice cream and then head over to his apartment just a block away for board game night. They were still deciding on what to order, so here he was waiting.

"Shouldn't we watch our figure? We can't just get the triple slam chocolate sundae with extra fudge and cookie bits!" Weiss looked aghast at what Ruby had ordered.

"It's fine. We burn it all off during combat anyway. No need to fret Weiss Cream." Yang waved her hand dismissively and ordered a strawberry supreme banana split.

"There's no harm in enjoying a treat occasionally." Pyrrha added with a smile, as she ordered a simple cone of vanilla. Weiss sighed and nodded in agreement, then ordered a normal vanilla sundae with hot fudge and marshmallows. She muttered _might as well go the distance if I'm ordering something._

Nora plopped down at the table with an unimaginably large banana split sundae, sliding it in front of Ren. He could only stare in disbelief, " _Nora_. How do you plan on finishing that?"

"With you Ren-Ren!" She smiled excitedly and handed him a colorful spoon. He shook his head smiling and helped himself, although he was certain the lion's share of it will disappear into the pink grenadier.

"Slow down, or you'll get a headache…" Ren advised before Nora's face froze and she gripped the sides of her head in pain. "…never mind."

"You all find something you like?" Welkin asked as one of the servers slid over a tall glass filled with a chocolate milkshake. He paid for the food after inhaling in shock from the bill. He picked up the drink and headed over to a bar stool. The group had taken different seats around the parlor. Sun, Blake, and Neptune were sitting at the counter enjoying ice cold root beer floats. Weiss sat with Jaune and Pyrrha talking about beauty products while eating their ice cream. Surprisingly, Jaune was actually contributing to the conversation (he had seven sisters or something for all that.) Ruby and Yang egged on Nora as the bruiser absolutely devoured the mountain of ice cream. Ren just slowly picked at his portion of the ice cream, smiling as his best friend ate.

He took a seat next to Neptune as Blake laughed at one of Sun's jokes. "Hey, thanks for this. Doesn't look like it, but we could all use a breather from school." Neptune raised his glass. Welkin nodded and clinked his against it before he took a long drink from the cold, thick beverage. "We'll pay you back some way."

"Ah man, don't worry about it. S'least I can do. I don't suffer through classes like you all anyways." He grinned and took another sip. "And I kind of owe the team."

"Dude, where'd you even hear about this place?" Sun leaned over and asked, his glass already half empty. Welkin allowed him to get two banana milk shakes since...well, Sun kind of inhaled food at a rate capable of matching _Nora_. "I'd never heard of an old fashion place like this."

"I had to do a delivery here once. Well, not _here_ , but across the street." He pointed to the office building next door. "Decided to check it out since I was curious, and I've been coming here when I could since." He decided to not add the fact he was a glutton for ice cream. The world didn't need to know his secret lust for a milkshakes.

"I'm surprised they're still in business. It's rare to find old parlors like this." Blake took a spoon and scooped up some of the unmelted vanilla ice cream in the glass.

"It's probably the fact that there's no competition. But I'm fine with that. Handmade ice cream trumps factory stuff any day." Welkin looked around the room.

They sat around enjoying their drinks as Sun made another joke. Neptune grinned, "So, what do you mean by you owe the team? From what I heard, you've got a track record for being saved by them." Welkin groaned and bent over before straightening back up.

"Nah, nothing like that. It's an embarrassing story." Welkin waved off the question. Yang had decided to join them and snatched his chocolate milkshake.

"Ohhh you mean it's a _great_ story," Yang shot Neptune and Sun a Cheshire grin. She took a long drink from his straw, draining away the precious milkshake quickly before Welkin could take it back. The two perked up and listened as Blake face palmed. "It was all a normal evening and we were changing out to our normal uniforms. Then suddenly, Welkin comes BURSTING in as if the devil was after him. He looked around and was like: Oh yeah, I could get used to this." Welkin shook his head, face absolutely _red_ from embarrassment.

"Not actually how it went. Nora's potato cannon," Welkin began.

"NORA!" Nora burst out cheerfully, her face covered in ice cream from abandoning the spoon to eat ice cream. The bubbly girl's energy meter was probably off the charts at this point, given the fact she was at least halfway through the sundae already.

"Uh…right. I knocked on their door, and Nora had this massive potato cannon set up." Welkin made hand gestures to try and give a rough size estimate. "So she swings open the door and yells something, and before I know it I got launched across the hall and into their room via potato express."

"You're shitting me. I'm up there all the time and that doesn't happen to me." Sun started his second milkshake, appreciating the smooth banana flavor. Fucking bananas were amazing in anything sweet.

"…Right. So I get knocked out and well, everything, including the potato gun, was blamed on me."

"Yeah, but you _did_ stare. Com'on Welks, no shame in admitting it." Yang teased as she took the drink he wanted out of his hands.

"I was dazed! I just got hit in the face with a potato – a potato that _exploded into confetti_!"

"Dude, I thought you were better than that." Neptune shook his head, but still grinning. "Peeping on women like that. That's bad man."

"Oh shut up, it was an accident!" Welkin glared at the blue haired man, though he couldn't contain the smile on his face. "Alright well, when we're all done here…board game night, anyone?"

* * *

Team RWBY were playing a horror board game, with each member as a person investigating a haunted mansion. Circumstances led to Sun being the traitor, and he was currently hamming it up to everyone's delight. At the kitchen table nearby, team JNPR was playing some kind of card game with Welkin and Neptune. And it was one really rowdy card game.

"…And as you stand in the room, you feel compelled to look into a cracked mirror. As you approach to examine it, Weiss Cream, you hear a soft banging. The mirror rattles repeatedly, as if possessed by some unholy power." Sun read from the haunt card, "You lean closer, but see no reflect. Suddenly pale hands appear and start banging on the mirror, as if trying to break out. Roll one d ten. Uh, one ten sided die." Weiss rolled her eyes and rolled a white die. Since they had started playing more board games at school, they had each gotten color coded dice sets.

"Oh no. A one." She sighed and looked at Sun, who grinned cheekily. "What happens?"

"Okay uh, on a roll of one to two…You take a step back, but suddenly the glace shatters and the long arms reach out and seize you! You're dragged into the mirror. You struggle against the darkness, losing sight of where you were. As quickly as you were dragged in, you are dropped out in the Crypt. The mirror behind you now quiet." Sun read out the consequences, "You take two sanity damage and are now in the crypt. Place the crypt square if it has not already been discovered in the basement."

"Oh come on! I just recovered that sanity!" Weiss whined as she adjusted the marker on her character's card. Blake passed over the crypt tile from the stack of room tiles. She put it in the area they designated the basement.

Blake leaned over and looked at the board, "This is getting bad. If we don't stop Sun, he'll take out Yang next."

"Thanks for reminding me!" Sun cackled as his chainsaw wielding madman sprinted across the board tiles to Yang's character.

"Oh come on! Go after Blake! I know you want that tail!" Yang groaned and picked up her dice. "Okay lover boy, six d six versus… _why do you have nine_?!" Sun just grinned at her, embracing the role of cruel maniac. They rolled off using the two dice towers they had gotten with the sets of dice.

"Okay, so, you got a five, four, six, two, two, and three. I got…well, three sixes and a five. Which means I do…" He referenced the handbook. "Two physical damage."

"I'm dead!" Yang threw up her hands and leaned back, "Goddamnit Sun!" Sun only responded with his mock, evil laughter.

"Now you join my legion of dead! Just like Ruby! Mwhahaha!" He nodded to Ruby, who he had killed earlier when the murder spree began, "Go minion! Kill them all!"

Ruby pretended to be a mindless drone and raised her hands up like a zombie, "Yeees masterrr…" She drawled and took her turn chasing down Neptune. The special rule for the traitor this game was that killed players turn into relatively weak zombies, and Ruby's character was unfortunately in the same room as Sun's when the haunt started.

"You can take over from here, Sun." Yang stood up from the table to join team JNPR at their table, leaving team Blake and Weiss to deal with Sun's shenanigans. She walked over and looked down at the group putting down gold and black cards on the table. In the middle was a discard pile filled with black and gold cards. "What're you all up to?"

Nora stifled a laugh and pointed at the pairs of cards Ren was carefully examining. "Ren-Ren has to make a choice."

"This…isn't as easy as you'd think Nora." Ren leaned back thinking. "Like, would I take a million dollars if every time a scroll rang, someone on my right would pants me? Compared to a million dollars, but whenever you feel something soft, you get a paper cut between the fingers."

Yang paused and thought over the options. "Wow, they both kind of suck."

"See, the way I see it, the first one isn't so bad because you can just wear a second pair of pants or like, shorts." Neptune pointed to the combo. "I mean, it's better than 'every time you use the bathroom away from home, you yell out a fetish.' That's just socially crippling."

"Yeah, but is it a fetish _you have_?" Welkin asked, thinking seriously about the situation. "If it's a random word, then that's not so bad…you'll just get weird looks from people."

"I have to agree. If you had to yell something like that _every time_ you went? That's pretty bad." Ren put the cards down and looked around some more. "I don't think I could stand getting a paper cut almost every day though." Ren muttered.

"But that depends doesn't it?" Pyrrha interjected, smiling lightly, "Does it just appear or does some guy come and cut it?" Jaune shivered.

"Uh, how about no paper cuts at all?" Jaune asked, smiling weakly. "Honestly? I'd take the fetish yelling one. That one's just…bad." Everyone around the table visibly flinched at the imagination of someone coming up to them and GIVING them a paper cut.

"I agree. Alright, this is the one I absolutely would not do." He pushed away the other cards and Jaune grinned, taking the point card for himself.

"So, is this just deciding what the worst option out of all the options is?" Yang asked and pulled up a folding stool that Welkin had scrounged up from somewhere. "I'm game. Let's do it." Welkin handed her some random cards from the deck.

"What're you all doing?" Ruby and the others from the other table joined around them. Weiss and Blake were cheerful from their close victory over Sun and Ruby. They'd managed to trap the traitor and Ruby's zombie in the basement long enough to escape the haunted mansion.

"Million Lien, But. Seeing how far we'd go for a million Lien." Neptune explained as he looked at his hands. He smirked and put a combination down. "Rather, how far we _wouldn't_ go. You guys want to join?" They nodded and picked up some cards as Welkin explained the rules. They spent the rest of the night playing the game, catching a small break for pizza, before continuing the endless debate of whether or not one million Lien was worth having a twenty-five percent chance of _anything_ you throw away being thrown back at your face.

There was never a consensus.

* * *

 _Article Entry: Courier Services_

 _Despite the existence of the CCTS and scrolls, snail mail is still a popular choice. However, sometimes a person just needs to get a package somewhere without questions or limits. Sometimes, a person needs a courier. There are a handful of courier companies around the kingdoms due to their, honestly, limited uses. It's not often a package can't be sent via regular mail services. Courier services for the most part offer no questions asked parcel delivery. They're fairly affordable, and don't operate by standard mail hours. This frees them up to rush packages across the kingdoms._

 _However, courier work is a naturally dangerous job. There is always the risk of a grimm attack on the roads, and most couriers are very capable fighters. Depending on the company, couriers are trained not only to free run whatever city they'll be working a lot in, but also in the art of combat. It is unsurprising that a good number of present day couriers were ex-hunters at some point, due to the skillset being necessary for making long hauls through dangerous territory._

 _Currently, after the Vale Crisis (which encompasses more than just Vale), the only major company still running is Star of Polaris. Under the leadership of Sully Russet and Nancy Russet, they incorporated a lot of surviving members from other companies into their own. They currently do most of the courier work in cities, but are still somewhat limited in number due to the nature of jobs._

 _As a side note, customers always ask, "What stops a courier from taking a package and never delivering it?" The answer is quite simple: other couriers. When a courier goes "rogue," a general alert is released to the police force and other couriers in the area. They are tasked with taking down the rogue and finishing the delivery. No rogue courier has ever lived long after stealing a high value package, either from a third party or other couriers bringing him to justice._

* * *

 **Notes** :

Not much to say really. I hope I'm not messing up the characters. Thanks for your time!

Songs: _(Artist - Song - Reason)_

Hugh Laurie - Evenin'  
Hugh Laurie - St. Louis Blues  
Hugh Laurie - Tipitana - I'm not sure why I was listening to this at the time. But I do like blues and I think it makes pretty good background music for other things. Also kind of fits the old timey theme of the ice cream parlor and small apartment that Welkin lives in.


End file.
